Hollywood
by writerchic16
Summary: On a family vacation to LA, Alex sneaks into Condor Studios - along with Justin, Harper and Max - by pretending to be Selena Gomez. Alex isn't worried. After all, how hard can it be to act like a celebrity?
1. Chapter 1

**Hollywood**

Summary: On a family vacation to LA, Alex sneaks into Condor Studios and pretends to be Selena Gomez. Alex isn't worried - after all, how hard can it be to act like a celebrity?

* * *

"I wonder where Zac Efron lives..." Alex said as she browsed the web on her laptop. She quickly typed "Zac Efron LA address" into the search engine, then clicked "search."

While she carefully folded up another dress, Harper glanced at her best friend. "Zac Efron? You hated _High School Musical_. And you snuck into _Car Crash Every Five Minutes _when I dragged you to see the third in theaters!"

"So the guy made some cheesy movies. Doesn't make him any less cute," Alex argued. Seated on Harper's bed, the laptop balanced on her lap, she began browsing the listing that the search engine gave her. Not for the first time, she felt thankful that her parents had planned a trip for Spring Break that _didn't_ take place on memory lane. And after how well the kids had ended up behaving on their Puerto Rico trip, her parents had also decided to be a little more relaxed this time. Maybe she'd actually get to do what _she_ wanted, like stalking celebrities or tanning at the beach.

Harper grinned. "I still can't believe I'm going with you to Hollywood! I've never been happier to be a Russo!" she exclaimed. She clapped her hands and did a small jump. "Do you think we'll get to shop in the Fashion District? From what I saw online, it looks like heaven!"

"Sure! Maybe we'll see celebrities there!" Alex agreed. She supposed it wasn't cool to care about celebrities, but she couldn't help it. They had her ideal life - they did as they pleased, and their "work" was more like having fun. Alex could only hope to live that way when she was a famous artist

A smile on her face in response, Harper happened to look in her bag, then frowned. "Hey, have you seen my MP3 player...oh, there it is." She reached for the small electronic device that sat on her nightstand, hidden by a few books.

"Make sure it's charged, because you know I'll be sleeping the whole flight there," Alex warned. Usually she wouldn't mind being bored for five hours - she _knew_ how to kill time, like when she spent an hour playing with a salt shaker in the Sub Station. But the flight was at _9:30 am_, which meant they had to leave _two hours earlier_. After her family dragged her out of bed and to the airport, she'd probably pass out once in her seat, and wouldn't even be conscious until the flight was almost over.

While she checked the device's battery life, Harper asked, "You know, I don't get that. Why don't you guys just poof yourselves somewhere when you go on vacation?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Poof?"

"You know, magically get there," Harper explained.

"I know what you meant, but I like to use 'popping in,'" Alex replied. "Poof sounds too, I don't know...fairy tale magic-y." She then shook her head. "Anyway, you know my mom, she's all about doing stuff the mortal way. She almost caved when Dad pointed out that the flight was five hours long, but she stood her ground. She says it's 'part of the vacation experience.'"

"True. I do like getting those little bags of peanuts," Harper said.

Alex shrugged. "I don't care much. We've been getting along okay lately, and she _promised_ to let up more this time. I can deal with a five hour flight if it means going where I want in LA."

"Phew, that's good," Harper said with a sigh of relief. "At least we don't have to worry about a repeat of what happened last time." Alex had told her best friend all about their adventure in Puerto Rico when she got back home.

"What do you mean, what happened?"

But her parents were still in the dark.

Theresa had come down the stairs, a pile of Harper's laundry in her hands. On cue, she banged her head on the pipe. "Aye carumba!" she exclaimed, then glared at the pipe. "We really should think about padding that thing."

"I like it. Justin got an ugly bruise the last time, it looked so cool!" Alex said, which caused her mother to gave her a disapproving glance.

After she'd dropped Harper's laundry off on a nearby table, Theresa asked, "So what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing..." Harper trailed off, nervous. "I-I just meant how you two were arguing so much before your vacation to Puerto Rico." She then ran over to the laundry pile and went through it while she thought of a way to change the subject. "Thanks, Mrs. Russo, but I told you that you didn't have to do my laundry. I did my own at home."

Theresa stared at her. "Really? A teenager doing her own laundry?" She looked at her own daughter and sighed. "I wonder what that's like." She then turned back to Harper. "Honey, really, it's okay, I do everyone else's anyway. And you already do so much."

"But, I...alright, fine, I'll let you do my laundry," Harper relented. "But only if you let me take out my own garbage."

A warm smile on her face, Theresa nodded. "Deal."

Meanwhile, Alex tried not to puke at the sweet moment. Though she had lived there for several months, Harper was still uneasy about being treated as one of the Russo kids, even though she thought herself to be one. Harper had tried to explain that she just felt weird treating Jerry and Theresa as her parents, but Alex constantly insisted that she should get over it. After all, the parents said many times that they considered Harper one of their own. "Harper, the rest of us are looking bad over here, so start acting like a real Russo." She looked at the pile of laundry. "You can start by leaving that out for a while. I mean, who puts laundry away as soon as they get it?"

"Funny, Alex," Harper remarked, and still began to sort through the folded clothes. "Thanks again, Mrs. Russo, I needed some of this stuff for the trip."

Though pleased by Harper's polite remark, Theresa still put her hands on her hips and said, "Harper, for the last time, call me Theresa! You're family now."

Uncomfortable, Harper quietly replied, "Oh, right. Thanks...Theresa."

"Good," Theresa said. She began to head back to the stairs. "'Night, Harper. Alex, it's getting late, you should head up to bed. We're leaving at six tomorrow morning."

Alex stubbornly argued, "Mom! I'll be able to sleep on the five-hour flight there!"

"But we still have to wake you up at five-thirty and somehow drag you to the airport," Theresa reminded her. "You need _some_ sleep."

About to argue again, Alex realized that she was right. She might as well get six hours of sleep or so to make leaving for the airport a little less agonizing. "Fine, I'll go now. 'Night Harper."

"Good night, Alex! This time tomorrow, we'll be in LA!" she squealed.

Alex smiled as she closed her laptop, put it under her arm, and got up from the bed. "Yup. California, here we come."

* * *

Twelve hours later, Justin was finding out that getting sleep on the flight would not be an easy feat.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed for maybe the fourth time, his elbow sore from yet another collision with the snack cart. His position in the middle aisle seat made it near impossible to get more than a half hour of sleep. He tried to stay awake, he really had, but he was so tired from getting up so early.

His lucky sister had been seated next to a window, promptly laid her head down on the pillow they'd been given, and hadn't moved since. She hadn't even cared to make her younger brother switch seats with Harper when they found out that Max had been assigned to the seat next to her.

At first Justin had thought he'd be sitting next to Harper, but much to her disappointment, she'd been given a seat a couple of rows ahead. His parents were sitting next to each other, which meant that he'd been stuck with a stranger next to him.

However, once he saw who that stranger was, he hadn't minded too much. A cute, blonde teenage girl about his age had taken the seat, which reconfirmed his belief there existed a higher power who was looking out for him. But rather than take the opportunity to strike up a conversation, he'd been way too shy to say anything other than the courtesy "hello" they'd exchanged when she sat down. She seemed nice enough, but she'd put her headphones on. That was enough to deter him from making his move.

"Making his move"...the very idea of hitting on someone felt strange after he'd been with Juliet for so long. But the relationship had ended months ago. Of course, he didn't know what the appropriate time was to wait when the two parties involved were broken up by circumstances beyond their control. Not only that, but Juliet had become her true age...he wasn't even sure if she was still alive, in which case he could be considered a widower. Justin had tried to figure out exactly what had happened to Juliet, but all his father would say was that vampires didn't "last long" in that condition.

Justin preferred not to think about that too hard. He liked to think she had reunited with her parents, who had flown out to Transylvania to meet her, and was adjusting to her situation. Which, morbidly thinking, he supposed was like believing that the family dog had actually been sent to happily spend the rest of his years on a farm.

Either way, his gut was telling him to get on with his life. Alex trying to get George to take her to the dance had been almost like a sign - if she was starting to date again, then it was perfectly okay for him to do the same. If that wasn't a sign, then a cute girl, out of all the different types of people, sitting next to him probably was.

Of course, he wished his heart would stop pounding long enough for his brain to listen to the logic.

"Dude!"

The whisper didn't register at first, but eventually Justin managed to ignore his nerves long enough to realize that Max was calling him. "What?" Justin whispered back. Wary of oncoming beverage carts, he cautiously leaned over so the girl wouldn't hear him, just in case her music wasn't very loud.

"If you're not going to talk to that girl, can I?" Max asked eagerly.

Annoyed, Justin shook his head. "She's got to be at least three years older than you."

"So?" Max asked, equally irritated. "Who knows, she might want someone to talk to on this flight...and it sure isn't going to be you! What are you doing, man? We've been on this flight for two hours!"

Justin was surprised that Max had actually paid attention to his lack of conversational skills, when the fourteen-year-old had been keeping himself busy by playing with every button on the arm rest. Rather than argue if it was any of Max's business, he decided to take the defensive route. "She obviously doesn't want to talk! Why else would she put on her headphones?"

With an incredulous look on his face, Max pointed to the screen. "Gee, I don't know, maybe she wanted to watch the movie?"

Well, he couldn't argue that logic. The girl was definitely watching the movie, her eyes focused on the screen. In his panic he must not have noticed. "Since when are you so observant," he muttered.

Max shrugged. "I was going to watch the movie, but saw that it's some chick flick. Anyway, it's over now - you should ask how it was!"

"Why do you care?" Justin asked, curious.

"I'm bored," Max explained, then glanced at his snoring sister. "Actually, I think I want to draw on Alex's face now. Got a pen?"

After a moment's hesitation, Justin replied, "Yeah, think I do." He rummaged through his carry-on and produced a washable marker. He'd brought it in case he saw a celebrity and wanted the person to sign his hand or his forehead. This was his emergency plan in case he didn't have a piece of paper, and he could always take a picture to save it.

He'd thought about every possible celebrity-meeting scenario once his parents announced they were going to LA.

The marker handed over, Justin tried to ignore Max drawing on their sister's face - after all, since his parents were several rows ahead, he was technically in charge - and went back to his original worries.

As the credits rolled, the girl thankfully took off her headphones. He took that as his cue. "Um, so...how was the movie?"

Much to his relief, she turned to him, receptive to conversation. "Hilarious. Did you see _It's Complicated_ when it came out in theaters?" the girl asked. "Meryl Streep is so funny."

"Haven't seen it, sorry," Justin replied. With nothing else to say on the subject, the dreaded awkward silence was fast approaching, so he sputtered, "So, uh, I'm Russo...I mean, Justin!"

He'd been thinking his full name and accidentally started with his last. Oh, guano.

Fortunately for him, she laughed it off."Lilly Truscott. So, are you going home to California or going on vacation?"

"Vacation, I'm from Manhattan," Justin explained, thankful she'd started another conversation topic. "What about you?"

Lilly's eyes widened. "That's so cool that you're from Manhattan! Yeah, my friend and I are from Malibu, I was just here because she had a talk show..." she paused, as if she'd just let something slip. "...to attend. Yeah, she got tickets to um, _see _the Rachael Ray show and flew out."

Though of course he wondered what she'd been about to say, Justin let it go. After all, a total stranger's secrets were none of his business. As a wizard, he could definitely respect that. "So she's a big Rachael Ray fan?" He then looked around. "Where's she sitting?"

"Well, she was...going to be in vacation anyway. And she's in first class," Lilly explained. "She tried to pay for my ticket, but I just felt uncomfortable, especially since I just moved in. I mean, they're already doing so much for me, I don't need them to spend any extra money when they don't have to."

Amazed, Justin replied, "You're kidding. My sister's best friend just moved in with us, actually. Her parents moved..."

"My mom moved too! That's crazy," Lilly replied with an incredulous laugh. "But this is cool though! Now I can ask you all about what it's like, it would be nice to have some insight."

"Same here," Justin replied. Much to his surprise, he and Lilly managed to spend the next few hours of the flight talking about their home situation, their school lives...everything. As it turned out, she had a boyfriend, but they agreed to look each other up online and be Internet friends.

While he was a little disappointed that he had struck out since she had a boyfriend, he reasoned that nothing would have happened anyway since they lived on opposite ends of the country. The small experience was enough to boost his confidence, helped him open up to the idea of another girlfriend.

Maybe he'd even work up the courage to talk to some California girls.

...no Beach Boys pun intended.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I was thinking of who Justin could talk to on the plane and couldn't resist the minor crossover. That's all you'll see of Hannah Montana characters though, I promise.

Anyway, since Alex is sneaking into Condor Studios, she's obviously going to run into some _Sonny with a Chance_ characters. However, I'm not sure exactly how much of a character overlap there will be. I probably will move this to the crossover category eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, glad everyone likes it! I've decided to officially move this to the WOWP/Sonny with a Chance crossover section.

Also, for those reading who I don't know, this story is a tribute to a trip to LA I actually took with my friends. We went to see a WOWP taping and had an amazing time. I wanted to bring some elements of that trip...like pretending to break in to Hollywood Center Studios, though Alex will actually do it...into this story. It's not really important that you know that info, but I thought I'd give some background on how this story came to be.

And don't worry, future chapters will be longer than this. I just had to get the story rolling first.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Harper threw her suitcases onto a bed in her and Alex's motel room, but quickly ran back out to the wrap-around patio that overlooked the parking lot. The weather was only slightly warmer than it was back in New York, but she had to soak up every bit of California sun she could. "I can't believe we're here!" she shouted to her best friend, who was still lugging her suitcases up the nearby metal staircase.

It still amazed her that she was in Hollywood, sharing a room with her best friend. They could do whatever they wanted, and they had a whole week to do it. Harper couldn't remember a time she'd been more happy.

"Neither can I," Alex grumbled as she turned the corner on the landing. "There had to be _one_ hotel we could have afforded. I'd take anywhere over this dump."

Unfortunately, her best friend wasn't feeling the same way. Harper was more agitated by Alex's negative outlook more so than usual since it had increased at the sight of the hotel. Of course, Alex didn't realize it, but Harper was having enough trouble keeping up her own cheery demeanor. This issue of accepting her new identity as the fourth Russo child was giving her more trouble then she would've thought. After yearning to be a Russo for so long, she found that the reality of it made her extremely uncomfortable. She supposed years of reminding herself that she _wasn't_ a member of their family made it harder to suddenly believe that she was.

She was looking to this trip not only as a chance to explore LA, but also as a chance to adjust to her new identity. While Alex was looking forward to more time to herself, Harper was actually hoping the family would be spending more time together.

But that wouldn't be especially enjoyable if Alex kept up this pessimistic attitude.

As she turned to her friend, Harper put her elbow on the banister and her other hand on her hip. "Alex, we're in _Hollywood_. At least try to be excited about it." When Alex gave her a skeptical look, Harper's eyes widened and she clapped her hands. "Oh, idea! Let's put on her bathing suits and check out the pool! At least this place has that going for it, right?"

"Oh yeah, like I want to swim in _that_," Alex said with a quick nod over her shoulder at the small pool in the corner of the lot.

A frown crossed her face for the first time that day when she noticed the pool. It was in-ground, about the size and type she'd expect to find in a suburban backyard. There was no life guard, no special entrance, nothing. To top off the image, several pieces of newspaper floated across the surface.

Harper sighed. "Well, one point for you I guess. But a beautiful beach is so close, that won't even matter," she said, determined to stay positive.

They moved into the room, with bright yellow walls, an uncomfortable-looking club chair, a television on a dresser, and two twin-sized beds. Another door led to what Harper presumed was the bathroom. "This isn't bad," she remarked. Whenever her parents had gone on vacation, they stayed at places worse than this, so she couldn't complain.

Of course, Alex didn't have a problem doing exactly that. "Okay, as soon as I put this down, I am so changing that wall color. I'm thinking a light purple?"

"Okay, but do it quick, your parents might come in," Harper said as she quickly locked the door.

"Right," Alex said as she took her wand out of her boot. She then paused. "Now, what rhymes with light purple?"

Harper chuckled. "I think you'd have an easier time trying to rhyme something with wall."

After a second of thought, Alex shook her head to focus. "Alright, I got it." With a wave of her wand, she chanted, "This color will not do at all, light purple is now the color of these walls."

There was a flash of magical light, and the yellow darkened to a vibrant shade of purple. "Not bad," Harper said with a nod of approval. "Although to be honest I didn't mind the yellow."

Alex laughed as she flopped down on the bed. "You know, maybe this won't be so bad. I mean, we have our own room, Mom and Dad said we could go out without them as long as we were with Justin...this could be a cool vacation. At the very least I'll be able to use magic more without my parents constantly nagging me about it."

"There you go, Alex! This trip is going to be fun!" Harper insisted. She was glad her friend was starting to see the bigger picture, as Harper had a feeling the negativity would have gotten on her nerves.

The sound of Jerry's singing floated up the stairs, which mixed with the sound of the Russos' footsteps on the metal patio. Harper wrinkled her brow. "What's your dad singing?"

With a roll of her eyes, Alex explained, "This old song from like _forever_ ago called 'The Wanderer.' He starting singing it in the parking lot when he saw the hotel sign." The name of the motel, called 'The Wanderer Inn," was featured on a typical motel sign, complete with the word "Vacancies Available" lighted up underneath.

Theresa opened the door and the two walked in. She stopped and looked around at their room. "Oh, wow, your walls are purple!" she remarked. "Ours are yellow. It must be different in every room."

"'Cause I'm the wanderer, yeah the wanderer, I roam around, around...'" Jerry continued to sing, much to the annoyance of his daughter, who rolled her eyes again. He noticed and paused. "What? It's a good, classic song!"

"It's not the song they're annoyed by, Jerry," Theresa explained, amusement in her voice.

Jerry gave her an irritated glance, but did stop his singing. "So we just wanted to tell you guys that we're meeting at the car in a half hour to start our sight-seeing. We passed the Walk of Fame on the way here, and I have a whole bag of disposable cameras just waiting to be used!"

"I still don't get why we couldn't have bought a digital camera," Theresa replied, her arms crossed. "We're probably going to spend as much money on disposables."

Jerry shook his head. "We only go on vacation once a year, Theresa. It's not worth it!"

"O_kay_ then, thanks for stopping by, see you in a half hour!" Alex said as she nearly pushed her parents out on to the deck and closed the door. "The Walk of Fame, Harper?" she whined. "Who wants to see a bunch of celebrity names on a sidewalk when this city is full of _actual_ celebrities?"

"Alex," Harper said with a sigh. She should have known Alex wouldn't let go of her attitude so easily. "You're in LA! Relax, unpack with magic, because I know you're going to anyway, and at least _try_ to start having fun."

* * *

They traveled along Walk of Fame for two agonizing hours, with her parents embarrassingly taking pictures of almost every star. Alex had started whining after the first half hour, but by the end of the first, even her brothers were joining her.

"Can we _please_ do _anything_ else?" Alex had complained, exhausted from walking for so long.

That was when her parents noticed their tired children and finally relented. Alex actually hadn't known what she specifically wanted to do, but she got an idea when they came up to Condor Studios. A big _So Random_ fan, Alex remembered that she'd recently looked it up online and saw that they were going to start giving tours to the public soon. The others agreed that it would be cool to tour an actual set, so she didn't have to fight too hard to get her way. Actually, Max watched the show even more than she did, so he was the most excited out of the group.

"I still can't believe _you_ watch _So Random_," Justin remarked as they entered the studio and bought their tickets for the tour. "That show is for kids."

Alex wasn't bothered by his teasing - she was too excited to be going on the tour. "So what? It's still one of the funniest shows on TV." She then glanced at him over her shoulder, a smug grin on her face. "And I suppose _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers_ reruns are for adults?"

"Nice one," Max said with a laugh.

Justin glared at him. "Don't you laugh at me, I saw you watching _Go, Diego Go_ the other day!"

As they bought their tickets and lined up with about ten other tourists in front of the studio doors, Alex said, "Look, we all have our guilty pleasure shows. I'm just confident enough that I have no shame about liking _So Random_!"

"I'm very glad you feel that way, Miss! You're never too old to love _So Random_!"

Startled, Alex whirled around to find that the large doors had opened, and a balding middle-aged man dressed in a suit had emerged. "What's your name?"

"Alex," Alex replied, her eyes wide. She actually recognized the man in front of her - he was _So Random's_ creator and executive producer. "Oh my God, you're Marshall Pike!"

Okay, so she was a little more obsessive about the show than she should be. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

He stared at her in complete shock. "You know who I am? Have we met before or something?"

Alex laughed. "No, I'm just a really big _So Random_ fan," she assured him.

"Oh, wow...in that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Alex," Marshall said. A wide smile on his face, he turned to the crowd. "Well, for all of you who aren't as big a fan as Alex here, let me introduce myself. My name is Marshall Pike, and I am executive producer and creator of _So Random_...and your tour guide for today, since we haven't hired one yet."

There was some quiet laughter, and he threw open the doors to the audience area. "You're all in for a real treat today. It's rehearsal day, so all of our cast is on set. I'll make sure you meet them even though they're having a late lunch right now. And did you know that _Mackenzie Falls _films in the same building? Chad Dylan Cooper comes over here sometimes, so you may get to meet him too!"

The crowd became excited at that. Confused, Alex whispered to Harper, "Chad Dylan who?"

"You don't know who Chad Dylan Cooper is?" Harper asked in surprise. "He's the teen heartthrob star of _Mackenzie Falls_! He's the best actor of our generation, it says so on his fan site!"

Alex shrugged. "I barely know about _Mackenzie Falls_. That show always puts me to sleep."

The group was led further into the set, the new one that had all kinds of colorful doors painted on the walls and a gray-checkered floor. It faced the empty audience section, and led to some other sets like the bed from "Sicky Vicky," which featured _So Random_ star Sonny Munroe telling viewers funny things they can do when they're sick.

"So here it is, what every audience member gets to see when they come to a show," Marshall said, his arm spread in a grand gesture. He paused for dramatic effect while they took it in, then continued, "Yes, this is where the cast actually performs all of the sketches! This first stage is new, a better backdrop for the cast to close the show, don't you think? Other sets are usually made so that they're easily collapsed or rearranged to make room for new ones. We'll stop here for a while so you can take pictures...and don't worry, the Sicky Vicky bed is clean, I promise!"

The group laughed again and dispersed to take as many pictures they could...including her parents. Luckily, they were content with taking pictures of Max and Justin all over the set. Alex took that as her opportunity to find her some celebrities. "Come on, Harper."

"Alex! I'm pretty sure we're supposed to stay with the group!" she protested.

"Don't you know me at all by now?" Alex joked as she dragged her best friend backstage. Not sure at all where she was going, she dashed past a number of other sets and open make-up areas. She opened an unlocked pair of double doors that down a hallway, which made Harper become even more nervous because it was obviously not part of the tour. It was simply a black and tan hallway decorated with some signs of the stars...and one with a huge gold star on the door.

As if it were a red stoplight, Alex screeched to a halt and turned to face it. "This is Tawni Hart and Sonny Munroe's dressing room! I saw it in a magazine article on Sonny once."

Though she liked the others well enough, Alex's favorite _So Random_ actor was Tawni. The blonde seemed to have more of an edge than the others, and always seemed to make Alex laugh the hardest during the show. From what she saw in tabloids, Tawni was also the most fashion-conscious, which to Alex was definitely a plus. She had almost bought a pair of Tawni's skinny jeans, but couldn't get them before they were recalled.

"You...you can't go in! They could actually be in there!" Harper pointed out, her voice shaky from the sheer panic of being somewhere she wasn't allowed.

"Which was kind of the point of sneaking backstage," Alex reminded her, then fearlessly knocked on the door. "Hello?" she called. "Tawni?" Harper actually winced.

After about ten seconds without an answer, Harper grabbed Alex's elbow. "Come on, let's go!" she exclaimed, her words nervously high. "They could still answer!"

But Alex resisted her best friend's pull, tried the doorknob, and was overjoyed to find it unlocked. "You say let's go," she replied, her expression filled with eager determination. "I say let's go _in_."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

While Harper held her breath in anticipation, Alex eagerly pushed open the door. "Wow..." she said as she entered, timid Harper behind her. Harper had released her breath since no one was, in fact, in the room, but she was still tense, clearly nervous someone would walk in. "Relax, Harper," Alex said. "Enjoy the moment."

"Alex! We're in _Tawni Hart_ and _Sonny Munroe's_ dressing room!" Harper said in an anxious whisper. "And while it's amazing...we can't be in here."

But Alex dismissed the concerns, her focus on her surroundings. "Hey, no one said we can't, right?" she said, which was enough to make Harper give up and look with her. The walls were painted a light shade of pink, and dark pink curtains framed the door. One vanity was next to the door, while another was against the opposite wall. The spacious room also featured what looked like a large closet and then a sitting area to the left of the entrance.

With a frown, Alex commented, "It's _way_ too pink. And not cool hot pink. Princess-y, girly pink. Expected though since that's Tawni's favorite color."

"You know, I never realized what a big fan you were," Harper remarked as she tentatively went to see what was in the closet. The promise of designer clothes must have managed to push down her fear.

Alex wandered over to what she presumed was Tawni's vanity, since there were envelopes of fan mail all addressed to her...and pictures of Tawni that covered half the mirror. "I am," she answered. "I just don't see why I have to talk about it all the time. I mean, fan or not, it's just a TV show."

"You wouldn't say that if you watched _Mackenzie Falls_," Harper called from the closet. She'd pushed aside the curtain that served as a door and was shamelessly rifling through the outfits. "Chad Dylan Cooper is such a powerful actor."

"Well, thank you...whoever you are."

A stack of Tawni's fan mail in her hand, Alex froze when who was presumably Chad Dylan Cooper walked into the room, an amused smirk on his face. Harper froze with fright as well, caught with a dress in her hands.

His arms crossed, Chad looked at both of them. "Who are you two? Friends of Sonny?"

"Uh...no..." Alex replied. Harper raised an eyebrow when her best friend didn't take the excuse offered, but Alex had her reasons. Sonny and Chad were constantly featured in tabloids for their love-hate relationship, which meant that Chad would definitely talk to Sonny about this. She was thankful that Harper had previously mentioned his name, otherwise she wouldn't have remembered since she always just looked at pictures, never captions when she read tabloids. "We...know Marshall, actually." Well, it wasn't _technically_ a lie. "We're really big fans so he let us visit."

The interest in their presence abruptly left Chad's face. "Oh. Well, I was looking for Sonny, and she's not here, so..."

"Wait!" Harper cried as she gathered her courage and ran out of the closet. "I just have to say...I think you're amazing!" she blurted, her face red. "It's so cool to meet you! Can you sign my dress?" She'd made one out of old movie tickets especially for her trip to Hollywood.

"Um...sure?" Chad said, clearly unnerved by the unusual dress material. "Got a pen?"

Neither of them did, so Alex looked on Tawni's vanity, found a sparkly pink one and handed it to him. "Here you go," she said. She couldn't help but smile when he gave her an appreciative glance for so brazenly taking a celebrity's personal item. While he signed the dress, Alex asked, "So...you come here looking for Sonny a lot?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Chad snapped. His head whipped toward her, which made the pen slip in his hand and mess up the signature. "I don't care what everyone's saying! She's _not_ my girlfriend!"

Her arms crossed, Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really, Chad?"

"Yes, really!" Chad protested. "Who are you, anyway?"

Alex held out her hand. "Alex Russo. Nice to meet you. That's Harper Finkle." Harper eagerly held out her hand also, and he shook both.

"The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," Chad said with a cocky smile. "So I'm guessing you both watch _Mackenzie Falls_. Well, who am I kidding, everyone does."

Harper nodded. "I'm a _huge_ fan. I can't believe it's a whole month until the next episode! The last one was so epic!"

"Got to keep the fans wanting more," he joked. Then he turned to Alex. "What about you? What did you think of the last episode?"

Alex shrugged. "Didn't see it. _Mackenzie Falls_ puts me to sleep, honestly." She laughed as a memory came to mind. "It actually did help that one time I couldn't sleep..."

Meanwhile, Chad looked as if he'd been punched in the stomach. His jaw hung open, his eyes were wide, and the sparkly pen fell out of his hand. "Y-you..." he sputtered. "You _don't like_ _my show_?"

The over-dramatic reaction made Alex laugh more. "Man, you _are_ a good actor! I almost believed that you've never head that before!" She continued to chuckle, and Harper joined in.

"I wasn't acting!"

Both Alex and Harper abruptly became serious. "O-oh..." Alex trailed off. "_Awkward_..."

"How can you not like my show?" Chad demanded of Alex. "T-there's all the d-drama and the good writing and...and me! What more could you want?"

Not sure what to say, Alex answered. "Look, sorry, but I get bored by serious dramas. You really shouldn't take it personally."

"Well I am! Alex Russo, you are _going_ to be a _Mackenzie Falls_ fan," Chad announced, his finger pointed at her.

_This isn't happening_, Alex thought. While she kept her cool, she was stunned that a _celebrity_ was actually determined to make _her_ a fan of his show. Only practiced will power stood between her calm and an excited, girly squeal. "A-and how are you going to do that, Chad Dylan Cooper?" she asked, a well-placed note of doubt in her voice.

"I'll...I'll..." He thought for a short moment, then snapped his fingers. "I'll make you watch all of my best episodes! Then you'll _have_ to like the show!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean the _show's_ best episodes?"

"Same thing," Chad replied with a shrug. "You in?"

Harper actually _did_ let out an excited squeal. "Yes! A million times yes!"

"Um, hadn't invited you, but sure," Chad replied, then turned back to Alex. "Look, I'm busy today, but come by the studio tomorrow. My schedule's a little better then. Between takes we can hang and I can give you some personal commentary. That alone should make you _Mackenzie Falls'_ biggest fan by the end of the day."

"If you say so," Alex retorted. "When should I be here?"

Chad shrugged. "I don't care, whenever you get here with Marshall I guess. He'll let you in and show you where the _Mackenzie_ set is." He began to leave, but glanced at Alex one more time. "That's who you remind me of!" he said with a snap of his fingers. "Selena Gomez! You could be her twin!"

"Thanks," Alex replied, a smile on her face, but only until he'd walked back down the hallway. Then she turned to Harper. "Who's Selena Gomez?"

Harper shook her head in disbelief. "You really need to brush up on celebrities, Alex. Selena Gomez is a singer, and the star of that teen show _Sorcerers of Slattery Plaza_. I'd think you know about it since it has some real wizard spells in there."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of that show," Alex said. "It's based on the real wizard world, kind of like _Charmed and Dangerous_." They both paused when they heard a vague noise from the hallway.

As her nerves immediately returned, Harper said, "We better get out of here, Alex."

"Yeah, sure," Alex said as they left, and was sure to close the door behind her. "I hope the tour is almost over, because we need to go shopping. What do you wear when you hang out with a celebrity?"

* * *

"This is the best plan I ever came up with!" Alex exclaimed in their hotel room the next morning. She was spread out on her bed, her laptop in front of her while Harper put the finishing touches on her outfit for the day. This time, the fashion-conscious brunette wore a short-sleeved dress that hugged her figure, covered in stars of all different shapes and sizes.

Apprehensive, Harper replied, "I don't know, Alex. Pretending to be someone else can be hard! I think we both learned that after the body switching incident."

"But think about it," Alex insisted. She wouldn't let Harper's doubts get to her. "I'll only have to be Selena Gomez long enough to get into the studio. Then I can just head over to the _Mackenzie Falls_ set. Shouldn't be too hard since even Chad thought I looked like her, and from what I've seen in these tabloid articles, he and Selena are practically BFF's." She had spent half the night and most of the morning doing research on her new "character." Thankfully she had come up with the plan shortly after leaving the studio yesterday, so they'd had time to pick up a Selena-like outfit of dangling earrings, a loose, belted dress and leggings. Alex added her own boots, which Selena would also wear, her wand tucked in one of them just in case.

"Yeah, he thought you _looked_ _like_ her. He didn't think you _were_ Selena," Harper pointed out.

Alex shrugged. "That's because he knows her so well. People get mistaken for celebrities all the time. Like I said, shouldn't be too hard."

Apparently, Harper didn't want to be convinced that the plan could work since she continued to argue, "But you're talking about going through security. Won't they ask for an ID?"

"Please, it's Selena Gomez. I'll just say I'm visiting Sonny or something," Alex said. She also discovered through research that Sonny and Selena were good acquaintances, but not quite friends, ever since Selena almost co-starred in Chad's autobiographical movie. "And if I need to, I'll go to plan B: Threemetris Movetres."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The spell to move someone ten feet," Alex explained as she remembered Harper hadn't known about magic yet the last time it was used. "I can use it from outside the studio."

After a second of thought, Harper replied, "Why not just use that?"

Actually, Alex had the same thought while coming up with her plan last night, but had quickly thought of ways it could go wrong. "Because once I get in, I'd have to _stay_ in. If people think I'm Selena Gomez, they won't call security."

"I have to say, Alex," Harper reluctantly began. "It does sound like you've thought of everything. Which is surprising since you never think your schemes through."

A triumphant smile on her face, Alex decided to take that as a compliment. "I know, right? This would probably be the part where I'd say what could possibly go wrong, but I've found from experience that saying it always jinxes the plan, so I won't."

"Good call," Harper replied with a chuckle. "Come on, we have to go meet everyone in the lobby for the free breakfast."

As she shut down her laptop, Alex retorted, "Oh yeah, wouldn't want the individual cereal containers to get cold."

They grabbed their bags, exited on to the wrap-around deck, and after Harper made sure the door was locked behind them, ran across the parking lot to the small, empty lobby. A modest buffet with tasty-looking pastries, the expected individual cereal containers, and a coffee machine was set out against the far wall. The rest of the Russos were already waiting for them. Max was eating a sugary cereal, empty sugar packets beside the container, while Justin sat across from him reading the local paper. Theresa and Jerry were looking at the wall of tourist brochures, seemingly fascinated by each one and torn over deciding which attraction to cover that day.

"Come on, Jerry!" Theresa was insisting. "Let's take the kids to Disneyland!"

But Jerry stubbornly shook his head. "Why don't we just throw hundreds of dollars out the window while we're at it? The kids are too old for Disneyland anyway! Let's go drive up to the Hollywood sign. It's free and you love taking pictures!"

"That is true. And those homes in Hollywood Hills are so beautiful..." Theresa replied, her head tilted while she considered the argument. "I guess we could see that first."

Alex cheered up at the prospect. If her parents decided to go see the sign, she could pull her usual, whiny "that's _so_ boring" attitude they'd expect of her without suspicion. Then she could convince them to let her, her brothers - who probably wouldn't want to go anyway - and Harper go off on their own. Before her parents could address the group, she went up to the table where her brothers sat. "Hey, you two," she whispered. "Heads up, Mom and Dad are going to make us go to the Hollywood sign."

"Cool," Justin replied, much to Alex's annoyance. "The Hollywood sign is a historical part of this city. Did you know..."

Under her breath to Max, Alex whispered, "He researched the sign, didn't he?"

"It's Justin," Max answered around a mouthful of Lucky Charms. Alex nodded, then took a handful of Max's dryer cereal pieces out of the plastic container and snacked while her older brother lectured.

"...the sign was built in 1923 as a _billboard advertisement _for a real estate company!" Justin exclaimed in amazement. "LA Times publisher Harry Chandler bought it for $21,000. Originally it said "Hollywood _Land_, but the second word was taken off when it needed repair in 1949..."

"Okay, trying to be nice and listen, but I can't take it anymore," Alex finally interrupted after she'd eaten the last of the cereal. "Justin, you have to hang out with me and Harper."

Insulted, Max asked, "Hey, what about me? I don't want to see some boring sign!"

"Really don't care about that," Alex replied. "But Justin needs to come 'supervise,' otherwise Mom and Dad won't let Harper and I go out alone!"

At first Justin stared at her, then outright laughed in her face. "Yeah, right! Why would I give up something I really want to do, for something I really _don't_ want to do?"

"He's kind of got a point, Alex," Harper said. She'd gone to grab her breakfast of a pastry and coffee, then quietly went to stand next to the table, which only had enough room for two.

"Because you really won't need to supervise us!" Alex argued. She'd also worked out this part of her plan overnight along with the sneaking in aspect. A whole day with a cute, single celebrity was too much to risk on one of her usual poorly thought-out plans. "You wanted to see some wizard sites that Mom said no to, right? Just say you're going with us to the Fashion District, then go wherever!"

Justin leaned back on the chair and crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Where are you really going? Mom and Dad said they'd take you and Harper to the Fashion District this week. You don't need to ditch them for that."

Shoot, she should've known he'd figure that out. That was her cue to pull out the celebrity crush card. "Back to Condor Studios," Alex explained, carefully leaving out the "where I can sneak in by pretending to be Selena Gomez" aspect of that statement. "I met Chad Dylan Cooper during the tour yesterday and he told me to come back so we could hang out."

"Let me get this straight," Justin said in complete disbelief, his tone dry. "You just happened to meet one of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood, and he actually paid attention to _you_. Yeah, right. Knowing you, you have some crush on him and want to sneak in to stalk him."

Around a mouthful of pastry, Harper insisted, "She's telling the truth, Justin! We did meet him, and he did tell Alex to come back! He even signed my dress!"

"He did," Max remembered. "They were gone for like twenty minutes, and Harper came back and showed us right before the group met Chad. I remember because I was looking for them to be a distraction when Mom made me take a million different pictures sitting in the rocking chair on the Gassie set." He frowned. "Oh yeah, I meant to be angry at you two for leaving us with them."

When Justin appeared less doubtful, Alex went in for the kill. "And haven't you watched _So Random_ with me just to watch Tawni Hart? She might be there. And without anyone else around, she might actually talk to you." Alex paused to let the possibility sink in, then gave what she hoped looked like a careless shrug. "Or you can go see those wizard sites. You'll still have the whole afternoon to spend without Mom and Dad."

Before the subject could be discussed further, Theresa and Jerry wandered over to the group, their hands full of brochures. "Okay," Theresa began. "After we're all done with breakfast, we're going to go to the Hollywood sign! We can see the beautiful houses and get some amazing pictures..."

Without hesitation, Alex said in her most annoying whine, "_More_ pictures? It's bad enough you dragged us up and down the Walk of Boredom yesterday. I thought you said you'd let us go off on our own this time. You did say that, right?"

Though her mother became irritated, Jerry quickly replied, "You know you can't go wandering around the city without supervision. If Justin wants to go with you, that's fine. But that's up to him."

All eyes turned to Justin, and Alex held her breath. She'd made a good argument, but Justin could be stubborn sometimes.

He glanced at his sister, then at his parents. "I'll...go with Alex," he said, which caused Alex to let out a sigh of relief. "There were some wizard sites I wanted to check out that I know Mom doesn't want to see. I'll drag Alex there before we do whatever boring stuff she wants to do."

"Alright, but I think you'll all regret that you didn't go see one of Hollywood's most famous landmarks," Theresa said as she held up the appropriate travel brochure. "So I guess keep your cell phones on, and we'll all maybe meet up at the Fashion District later? I'm eager to do a little shopping there myself." She then glanced at her youngest son. "Maxi, do you want to come with us? We can go to some places you wanted to see," she said in a shameless attempt at a bribe.

Though he seemed tempted, Max shook his head. "No way. Why would I want to see the stupid sign up close when I can see it from our motel?" he asked as if the reasoning should be obvious.

"Alright, then," Jerry said as the group began to head into the parking lot. "I guess Theresa and I will just take the car since you have to use your wands to get to the wizard sites. We'll see you later. Have fun, and be good." The last part was added with a meaningful glance at his daughter.

"I will, Dad," Alex assured him. Once the parents got in the car, satisfied Alex put an arm around Justin's shoulders. "Even I bought that lie you told 'em, bro," she complimented while his face flushed with shame. "My respect for you is increasing." She then patted him on the back and began walking in the direction of the studio. "Don't ruin it."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Happy Easter! Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Irritated, Justin kicked a rock on the sidewalk, so that it skidded until it hit a fire hydrant. "Why do I let her talk me into these things?" he rhetorically asked to Max, who walked next to him. The girls were out of earshot several feet ahead, leading the way since they knew how to get to the studio. "I mean, I'm a smart person. I notice when she's trying to pull something on me. But...I let her do it anyway. How? How does she do it every time?"

"You think Sonny Munroe will sign my Whoopie cushion?"

His little brother wasn't paying an ounce of attention to what was going on around him, as usual. Justin sighed. "Sure, don't see why she wouldn't. Did you bring a marker?"

Max's eyes widened in panic. "A marker? No! I've never met a celebrity in Hollywood before! I thought they'd keep a pen with them at all times for when fans ask for autographs!"

"Relax, here," Justin said as he once again handed over a marker he'd brought with him. He'd stuffed both a couple of markers and a small notebook in his pocket, along with his wand, wallet, and a disposable camera. All of his pockets were charmed to accommodate his wand, but didn't show their size on the outside. His father had told the three of them the spell when they first received their wands, since apparently it was common practice among wizards, and were all sworn to never tell their mother. "This is the last time I'm telling you - always be prepared. Now help me with my problem."

At his brother's blank stare, Justin gathered his patience so he could repeat what he had said with minimal annoyance. Though most of his attention had been captured by clicking the Sharpie, Max casually replied, "I don't think about it too much."

'There's a big shock," Justin couldn't help but retort.

"No, I mean, on purpose," Max explained, too amused by the clickable marker to be offended. "If I cared about anything Alex did to me, I'd get all annoyed like you do. So I just let her do her own thing while I make the most of the situation. Like how I'm getting an autograph from Sonny Munroe. Man, sometimes you just need to go with it."

Surprised, Justin didn't reply for a minute. Maybe his brother was at least a little smarter than everyone gave him credit for.

They were soon at the studio and gathered at the side of the huge gate, which was currently open. However, a security booth took up the middle of the driveway. "Why did we stop here?" Justin asked. "Just go up to the booth and ask for Chad Dylan Cooper." He then smirked at his sister. "If, in fact, he knows who you are."

Alex glared at him. "Of course he does! But..."

"And there it is," Justin interrupted, his arms crossed. "Alex, why are you really here?"

After she'd exchanged a nervous glance with Harper, Alex explained, "Okay, I really am here to hang out with Chad. But I met him when I snuck away from the group, and so he wouldn't call security, I told him that I was here with Marshall. So Chad had told me to meet him when Marshall brought me to the studio."

"And now you have to sneak in to keep up your little charade," Justin finished for her. "Alright, lay it on me, what poorly thought-out plan have you come up with this time?"

In defense of her best friend, Harper said, "It's a really good plan, Justin. Even I was impressed."

"Thank you, Harper," Alex replied. "Look, it's simple. Chad said that I look like Selena Gomez..."

Max tilted his head. "Really? I don't see it."

While Justin laughed, Alex glared at her younger brother. "Well, I do! People tell me all the time that I look at her...and Mikayla....but mostly Selena! All I have to do is convince that guard that I'm her, and we're in!"

Justin could only stare at her. _She really thinks that the guard is going to believe she's Selena Gomez?_ he thought in amazement. _Even if he's half-blind and believes her lie, he's still going to ask for ID. Celebrities have to follow the rules too, right?_ But a little part of him was curious to see if she could pull it off...which, he realized, was maybe why he let her get away with her schemes most of the time. "Fine. Let's see if you can actually do this."

"I love your unwavering faith in me," Alex retorted, her words soaked in sarcasm. She then fixed her hair, straightened her dress, and led the way to the booth, forced confidence in her step.

Amused, Justin followed slightly behind her unable to hide his eager smile. _Alex is going to be arrested by security for what I'm sure is the first of _many_ times! I almost wish I had a camera...oh wait, I do!_ He briefly wondered if the security guard would let him take a picture as Alex was hauled off to the studios' holding room. Of course, Justin would soon follow, but the picture would be worth it.

Still, his heart sped up when they actually reached the security guards, his usual reaction to when he was breaking the rules...usually on his sister's behalf.

The heavy-set yet muscular man seated in the booth turned to the group. "How can I help you kids?" he asked in a surprisingly friendly tone.

"Hi, I'm Selena Gomez," Alex began in a higher, lighter voice than her typical sarcastic drawl. "I'm here to bring my friends in to meet the _So Random_ cast."

A smile on his face, the guard took a clipboard from the booth's built-in desk. "I was just going to say you look a lot like her," he replied, but his smile faded as he looked at the list. "I'm sorry, Miss Gomez, but your name's not on here. I'd normally let you in anyway since I know you're friends with Sonny Munroe, but I can't because you have guests."

In disbelief, Justin tried to keep his shock in check so as not to give them away. But he was still stunned that the guard actually fell for Alex's act. He supposed that Alex looked somewhat like the celebrity in question, but enough to let her in without even _asking_ for ID? Really?

"Oh, I'm sorry! Sonny said I could just come by whenever," Alex lied easily, the cheery demeanor still in place. "I would have called her so she could give you my name, but silly me just forgot. I did tell her I was coming soon, though, so I'm sure she'd let me in if you gave her a call."

"That's alright, I'll call the set now," he replied as he pulled out the booth's phone, dialed, and waited through several rings. "Hello, Mr. Pike? We have Selena Gomez here to see Sonny. Just wanted to make sure Sonny was okay with it." He waited while the teens held their breath in anticipation. "Oh, hello Sonny," the guard continued. "Just calling to say that Selena Gomez is here, and he has some friends with her to see the set...uh huh...okay then, I'll tell her that."

"Sonny says she's _very_ excited that you're here, Miss Gomez," he said. "And that any friends of yours are friends of hers. She'll be waiting for you in the studio. Now, I'll need to see IDs so I can print up your guest passes."

Justin, Max and Harper all got out their school IDs, while as expected his sister waited until the guard had collected them, and began to enter the names into a computer. The guard paused when he went through the entire pile, then glanced at Alex. "I'm sorry, Miss Gomez, but I'll still need to see some ID."

_Yes! There is justice in this world!_ Justin thought, then remained quiet while he eagerly waited for the plan to explode in Alex's face.

But the explosion never came. "Oh, you need an ID?" Alex began as she pretended to rummage through her purse. "I thought, you know, since you knew who I am you wouldn't need it..." She then looked up at the guard. "Oh my gosh, I'm such a scatter-brain today, I seem to have left my ID back at the studio. I can go back and get it if..."

"No, it's okay. Really, it's just a formality. Of course I know who you are," the guard interrupted, then actually _blushed_ when Alex gave him a grateful smile.

While the IDs printed, Alex gushed, "Thank you so much...what's your name?"

"Dave," he replied, sheepish at the attention.

"Well, thank you Dave," Alex continued. "I really owe you one, really. In fact...would you like me to sign anything?"

_Unbelievable!_ Justin thought as he resisted the urge to punch the security booth's wall.

Dave looked like he was going to faint at the "celebrity's" praise. "Well, I-I do have a niece, and I know I'd be the greatest uncle in the world if..."

"Say no more," Alex assured him as she took the paper and pen he nervously pushed her way. "Now what's your niece's name?"

Five minutes later, the group was heading to the _So Random_ building, since the guard was still watching them. Their visitor's passes in hand, Alex couldn't be happier at how flawlessly her plan had unfolded. "You are _unbelievable_, Alex! You can do that, but you can't act in a high school play?" The irony that she hadn't been able to act as Tinkerbell, while she could lie her way out of any situation with ease, constantly frustrated him.

"There's a difference. I didn't care about the stupid play!" Alex retorted, then addressed the group when they neared the double doors. "Now, you guys have to stick with me long enough to ditch Sonny so I can find Chad. You can do whatever you want after."

Though he resented her bossy attitude, Justin still muttered, "Got it," in unison with Harper and Max. Then Alex opened the studio doors.

* * *

As he pulled out of the motel parking lot, Jerry nervously glanced at the brochures in his wife's hands. None of those attractions looked cheap. "So, uh, where else were you thinking of going?"

"Well, later we're going to the Fashion District. Harper wants to..." Theresa began, but paused when he groaned. "What? It's free!"

Jerry fought down the urge to roll his eyes. "To get in, maybe. You honestly believe you're going to go there and not spend half the savings we brought with us?"

"Please, I do have self-control..." Theresa trailed off when she realized something. "Wait, Jerry, where are you going? We don't know how to get to the sign!"

Confused, Jerry kept one hand on the steering wheel while he pointed straight ahead with the other. "The sign's right in front of us! What's there to figure out? All we have to do is keep driving towards it. I mean, we'll hit it eventually." Confident that he'd made his point, he put his hand back on the steering wheel. _Theresa can be so irrational sometimes_, he thought.

Annoyed, Theresa explained, "What if there are turns further down the road?"

"Then we'll turn until the sign is in front of us again," Jerry answered. He refused to let her anxiety affect him. Heck, he was on vacation too, and he was determined to enjoy it despite his wife's nagging. "It's like following the North Star!"

But Theresa wasn't totally convinced. "Great, I'm driving with Harriet Tubman."

"Funny, Theresa," Jerry retorted. "You know, you could just trust me on this one. We'll be fine!"

"Jerry, this is a strange city!" Theresa reminded him, upset. "If we get lost, there's..."

"We won't! And if we do, I bet you I could find our way all by myself, without any help from anyone," Jerry insisted. He felt he had a pretty good sense of direction. After all, he'd flown his way out of many a cloud while taking a ride on the carpet, which not many wizards could do.

"You've got yourself a bet," Theresa replied, slightly amused by his cockiness. "If I win, I get to buy as much as I want at the Fashion District. If you win, I spend no more than fifty bucks."

The offer surprised Jerry, since he hadn't been suggesting a real bet. He'd been speaking hypothetically since they probably wouldn't lose their way. "Well, you have a deal, but there won't _be_ a loser because I won't get lost."

Theresa chuckled. "We'll see." She leaned against her window, a brochure open in her hands. "You know, this is nice. Maybe we shouldn't be so upset that the kids didn't want to come with us today."

"You know, you're right," Jerry said. He paused while he took a moment to realize how _quiet_ it was in the car, compared to how noisy the ride from the airport had been. There was no chatter, no arguing, no whining, and no one kicking the seat in front of them. "This is pretty nice. It's almost like a date." At that, he grinned at her, romance clearly on his mind.

There was a big smile on Theresa's face. "Yeah, I think it could be," she agreed. But her expression quickly turned to one of concern. "Although I am going to be worried about the kids running loose in the city. I can only imagine what trouble Alex will cause."

"Relax, Theresa. They're practically adults now. You have to learn to let go," Jerry said. "And Justin is with them, he'll be able to get them out of any trouble they run into." Much to his relief, Theresa seemed to believe him since she nodded in agreement before turning back to her brochure.

Unfortunately, he wasn't so easily reassured. All he could do was drive, keep his wife from worrying too much, and hope that Alex didn't get everyone arrested.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Though she'd never admit to those who were following her into the studio, Alex had been incredibly anxious when she got them past security. Her biggest fear was that the guard, whose name she already forgot, wouldn't think she was Selena. She'd honestly been just as surprised as the others when he didn't even question that she was who she'd claimed to be. Only her outstanding self-control hid her anxiety, and then her shock.

If he hadn't believed her, then not only would her plan be shot down in only a second, but she would also probably have gotten into more trouble than she'd ever had. There was a chance he would've told them to just go away, but since she didn't know studio policy, Alex had been worried that they'd all be thrown in a holding room, their parents called to come get them. And she had no doubt her parents would have come up a punishment worse than being arrested.

But she had to shake off those fears because she was about to go through her second Selena Gomez impersonator test. She still worried that Sonny would recognize that she wasn't Selena, like Chad had been able to do. Her only reassurance was that Sonny had already been led to believe she _was_ Selena, while Chad knew she was just another fan.

To comfort herself more than to remind them, Alex whispered, "Remember, I'm Selena, not Alex. And you've never seen the set before."

"I'm best friends with Selena Gomez..." Harper said, awe in her voice. When the others looked at her with raised eyebrows, she explained, "Of course I know it's not true, but it's still cool that other people will think I am!"

"Oh my gosh! Selena!"

The group looked up to find Sonny Munroe running toward them, past the sets on one side and a buffet table on the other. They had entered a backstage area, a wall covered by a huge mural of the cast to their left.

"Selena!" the excited actress squealed again. Then Sonny threw her arms around Alex in a tight hug. "I haven't seen you since the Kid's Choice Awards, and even then it was only for a few minutes!"

"Yeah, I meant to talk to you that night, but I was just so busy...winning Favorite TV Actress," Alex remembered from the many websites she had surfed. Worried that the remark would make Selena sound insensitive, she added, "But you totally deserved to win too." Then she subtly managed to get herself out of Sonny's grip.

Sonny blushed. "Thanks, but you _really_ deserved it. You're so amazing on SOSP." When Alex looked confused, she explained, "Short for _Sorcerers of Slattery Plaza_."

"Oh, right, of course. Silly me," Alex said with a nervous laugh. To change the subject, she said, "By the way, did I tell you how much I love your new hair color?"

Flattered, Sonny replied, "You already did, but thanks! I thought the black would be a little too dark but I'm really liking it."

"Me too. It's really pretty," Max gushed, completely starstruck. He handed his whoopee cushion and a marker. "Can you sign my Whoopee cushion? It was my very first joke I played on my brother."

"Aw, that's so sweet! Of course I'll sign it. What's your name?" Sonny replied. She gave Max a quick hug before autographing the object.

"It's Max. I'm a big fan, Sonny," Max answered, his face red from the attention.

After she'd signed, Sonny handed him back the marker and turned back to the group. "So, Selena, who are your other friends?"

'Oh, right. This is my best friend, Harper," Alex introduced as she indicated Harper, who shook Sonny's hand. "And that's my...friend, Justin. Max is Justin's little brother."

Though she shook their hands, Sonny gave Alex a confused glance. "That's weird, I thought your best friend was Demi Lovato. No offense Harper, of course."

Harper dismissively waved her hand at the comment. "None taken. Sometimes I can't even believe I'm Selena Gomez's best friend."

Her best friend's remark gave Alex a second to come up with an excuse. "Well...uh, don't you read the tabloids, Sonny? Demi and I have been on the outs lately," She then added in a conspiratorial whisper. "I don't like to talk about it."

Embarrassed, Sonny gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I think I read something about it but I just didn't remember..."

"So, Sonny, who else is on the set today?" Justin asked in an effort to once again change the conversation topic. "Is Tawni here?"

Sonny nodded. "Yeah, she and Zora are here. We're just rehearsing a new 'Real Princesses of New Jersey' sketch, so Nico and Grady aren't coming in until later. But they should show up sometime during the day, and I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you." She began to direct them towards the way she'd come. "So let me show you guys around! Selena's already been here, of course, but the rest of you must be dying to see the actual sets! I was thinking I could take you to all of the backstage areas too, ones that aren't included in the public tours."

"Thanks! But you don't have to go through all the trouble," Alex replied. Eager to get to Chad, she tried to think of an excuse that would get her out of there faster. "Especially since I bothered you at the last minute. Really, my friends are perfectly fine with just meeting Tawni and Zora. I'm kind of in a hurry myself, busy with...interviews and other celebrity stuff..."

A disappointed frown crossed Sonny's face. "Oh, that's it? I was hoping we could hang out. Maybe show you the sketch we've been working on."

About to make excuses, Alex hesitated. She would _love_ to see a new 'Real Princesses of New Jersey' sketch since the concept was one of her new favorites. Plus, Sonny looked so upset that "Selena" couldn't stay long, and Alex really did like the actress. Tawni was her favorite, of course, but many of Sonny's sketches had her laughing hysterically. So she felt she could sacrifice a few precious minutes of Chad time in return.

Much to Sonny's relief, Alex gave her a reassuring smile. "Sure, I guess I can stay for a little while. Sounds like fun."

* * *

As the small group made their way around the _So Random_ set, with Sonny happily chatting the entire time about working on the show, Max was still on cloud nine. Alex was a big fan, but he really loved _So Random_, to the point where many of his real-life antics was based on the show's sense of humor. Of course, he'd developed his own style over time, but the show had been a huge influence.

Since his brother was focused on their guide, Max tugged on Justin's shirt to get his attention. "Hey Justin, guess what?"

Justin kept his eyes on Sonny so as not to appear rude, but he did reply out of the corner of his mouth, "What is it, Max?"

"Sonny Munroe hugged me!" Max said in an excited whisper. His back still tingled from where she had put her arm. He finally knew exactly what it felt like to be completely, over-the-top starstruck. "She hugged _me_! I-I can't believe it! I watch her on TV all the time, but she actually talked to me and she hugged me!"

Amusement in his face, Justin chuckled. "Yeah, she really did, Max. Is this going to be another London Tipton situation?"

"It might be," Max confessed. "I don't think I'm going to be able to spend enough time alone with Sonny to declare my undying love for her, though. She has rehearsal today."

Justin patted him on the shoulder. "You never know, Max," he said, barely able to contain a smile. "Love always finds a way. I managed to get a date with London, didn't I?"

"That's true," Max replied. Maybe he could hang out with Sonny after Alex left to find Chad. Being a Russo taught him that if he wanted something, he needed to make it happen himself.

At that point, the small group had gone past the backstage area, the snack table (Max made a mental note to head back there before he left), the audience seating, and all of the stages. Sonny had taken them through double doors and into a maze of tan hallways, on which pictures of the cast members were painted in between the many doors.

Unsure of what she was going to show them, they stopped short when Sonny stopped at the first door to their left. "You'll _love_ this," Sonny said. "When I first went into this room on my first day of _So Random_, I knew I was home."

As she opened the door, Max expected to see her dressing room. Therefore, his eyes widened in surprise when they entered the famed prop house, a chaotic room filled with tons of props that had been used in sketches over the years. To his left were an actual slide, sarcophagus, and a photo booth, a sofa and TV were on his other side, and a vanity sat against the far wall.. The overall was very colorful and, well, random.

He let out a gasp of delight. Ahead of him, he could see "Selena" amazed and trying not to react the same way. They hadn't gotten a chance to see this room on the tour the other day since the cast had going over their lines in it.

"Whoa, this is the prop house!" Max blurted. "I knew it was real!"

The group moved further into the room while Sonny laughed. "Yes, it's real! Cool isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. You know what's not cool? Being late to rehearsal!"

They turned to find Tawni Hart in the doorway, a script in her hands and an annoyed look on her face. "Nico and Grady aren't here, so Marshall sent _me_ back to get _you_. What could possibly be _so_ important that..." Tawni stopped her angry rant when she noticed the other person in the room. "Oh my gosh, y-you're Selena Gomez!" She then whirled to face Sonny again. "Why didn't you tell me she was here?"

"Because, Tawni, she was here to see _me_," Sonny bragged. "I'm guessing you two haven't met?"

As she shook Alex's hand, Tawni corrected, "We did, actually. For two minutes when you were here for Chad's movie. Remember? I asked what lip gloss you used?"

Max raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Alex was on the verge of a panic attack from seeing her favorite star up close, much like he had been earlier. But as Selena, she couldn't act like a hyper fangirl. He gave his sister credit when she forced down her excitement, and in a voice that was only a little shaky replied, "Oh, that's right. Nice to see you again, Tawni."

Meanwhile, Max had also seen Justin grow nervous the second that Tawni walked into the room. His older brother's eyes were wide and his fists clenched. Justin had mentioned before that he liked Tawni, so Max wasn't surprised. Actually, if Justin _did_ become friends or more with Tawni, they'd be spending more time together that week...and Max might be able to weasel his way into more time with Sonny. "Say something!" Max whispered. "You like her, right?"

"Oh, right," Justin replied, then nervously cleared his throat...and then, much to everyone's embarrassment, lowered his voice to an unnatural level. "Uh, Tawni, it's an honor to meet you," he said as he offered his hand for her to shake. "You are very pretty and talented."

"Well, of course I am," Tawni replied, then ignored his outstretched hand as she turned to Alex. "Are you coming to rehearsal, Selena? It'd be so great to have you there."

"Yeah, she is!" Sonny replied for her, then turned to the group. "Well, you're all welcome to come to rehearsal. When I have a break we can finish the tour!"

"Yea! So looking forward to...that," Alex said with false enthusiasm. It was enough to satisfy the two actresses, who led group out of the prop house.

Before he followed the group, however, Max heard a noise...from _inside_ the sarcophagus. He paused to wait for another sound, long enough for the group to move back into the hallway without him. Suddenly aware he was alone, he jumped about a foot in the air when another banging noise sounded from inside. "Alright, if you are a mummy, come out and fight like a man!" Max ordered in what he hoped was a commanding tone, his arms up in a fighting stance. "I've taken a mummy down before. I'm not scared of you!"

"Yeah, but I think I'm scared of you, you weirdo," Zora Lancaster laughed while she emerged from the sarcophagus. "Dude, it's obviously a _fake _sarcophagus. That, and mummies don't exist."

Max let out a sigh of relief. It was only Zora, the youngest member of the _So Random_ cast, and actually younger than him by a few years. She was actually one of his favorite actors on the show because she always seemed to make him laugh the most. "Uh, tight. Hey, you're Zora! I'm Max. Really big fan, you're hilarious," he said as he held out his hand for her to shake. When she did, he asked, "So, ah...why were you hiding in a sarcophagus?"

"Why _shouldn't_ I hide in a sarcophagus?" Zora retorted, her arms crossed.

"Good point," Max said with a nod of approval. "You're cool, Zora."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Finally! Sorry I kept everyone waiting. Between little inspiration for it, and writing a couple of scripts, "Hollywood" just got pushed to the side. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed before, and to those who are still reading!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

He was starving. All through the hour of rehearsal, Justin's stomach rumbled so loud that he worried the actresses would stop and wonder what that gurgling noise was. But he hadn't wanted to excuse himself to get a snack, because it would mean less time spent with the celebrities. He'd probably never get this much near-alone time with Tawni or Sonny again. Food could wait.

So when the cast took a break after some producers decided to rewrite some jokes that weren't working, Justin headed straight for the cafeteria. The cereal he'd had at the motel lobby wasn't too filling, and given all of the nervous energy he'd had today, no wonder he'd worked up an appetite.

However, he considered running to the Taco Bell across the street instead when he saw that Tawni had beat him to the cafeteria. Not surprising, since he'd taken a few wrong turns on the way, despite Marshall's directions. Anxious, all he could do was stare while she got a sandwich from the lunch counter. She was gorgeous, even when she was still dressed in the gaudy pink ball gown, her costume for the Real Princesses sketch.

_You can do this,_ he thought as he stood there in the cafeteria doorway. _You _can_ talk to her. You got a date with London Tipton, remember?_

_And look how well that turned out._

Since he couldn't keep standing there, Justin made himself go get some food. He kept his eyes glued to his tray, too nervous to do otherwise at the risk of making eye contact with her. After he took a sandwich and placed it on his tray, he slid the tray along the counter…until it bumped into another one.

He knew it had to be hers. The first reason was, well, that was how his life worked. Another was that he knew she was still paying for her food.

Though his throat had gone dry, he had to say _something_. She was looking at him with an annoyed glance, clearly expecting an apology. So he managed to mumble, "I-I'm sorry. I-I was distracted." He wanted to run out of the room, but couldn't when he still had to pay for his food.

She nodded in acknowledgement, then finished forking over the five bucks for her lunch.

"B-by you!" he sputtered. Immediately he wanted a hole to open up in the floor for him to disappear into. And he considered casting the spell that would create that effect. But, despite the incredible humiliation he was feeling at that very moment, he couldn't expose magic like that.

The exclamation-slash-pick-up line made Tawni whirl around, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Excuse me?" she said with a barely-contained chuckle.

_Exposing magic would be wrong…exposing magic would be wrong…_ Justin mentally reminded himself, while the hole option became that much more tempting. He hadn't known where that flirty line came from, but he had to run with it. "I-I meant, that, um…I-I'm a big fan. I stand by that 'pretty and talented' comment I made earlier. You're the funniest actor on _So Random_."

"Oh…thanks," Tawni replied. She seemed to be at least a little flattered, which helped Justin breathe normally again.

In fact, her reaction encouraged him. "So, uh…you're buying lunch, I'm buying lunch. You can see where this is going."

Tawni actually laughed at his little joke. He wanted to pump his fist in victory. "Sorry, but I'm taking my lunch to go. Sonny just texted me that they're already done rewriting lines, and they need me back at the set." She then paused and looked at him. "You're Selena's friend, right? Uh…Jordan?"

"No, Justin. But yeah, I'm Selena Gomez's friend," Justin answered, as he suppressed a smile. Maybe Max had the right idea – it couldn't hurt to make his sister's scheme work for him.

"Right," Tawni said as she began to walk off. "Well, I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you later." Much to his amazement, she gave him a quick smile. Then she dropped off her tray and put her wrapped sandwich in her large purse on the way out of the cafeteria.

As he paid for his lunch, Justin felt on top of the world. He couldn't stop smiling, which was probably why the lunch lady rolled her eyes as she gave him his change. On his way to an empty table, Justin sang quietly, but happily to himself, "Tawni Hart talked to me, yes she did, yes she did…" He then continued to hum it to himself as he unwrapped his sandwich.

* * *

While he kept his eyes on the road, Jerry asked himself one question.

How long could he get away with this?

He was lucky, for now. Theresa seemed to be preoccupied with the tourist pamphlets and the beautiful Hollywood Hills scenery around them. But it wouldn't be long before she'd start asking him if he knew where they were going.

Which he didn't. Well, not anymore.

_It was such a nice, simple plan_, Jerry thought with a long sigh. He'd been incredibly insulted when she'd just _assumed_ they would get lost at some point, so much so that she even made a bet based on that assumption. His male ego had been hurt, and that didn't happen very often.

So he came up with the plan. He'd make a few wrong turns so that she'd _think_ they were lost, but really he'd remember each turn he made. That way, he'd easily be able to get back on the right road and win the bet. But, while he was doing this, she started asking him if he thought they should take the kids to one of the tourist attractions. She distracted him enough that he totally missed which wrong turns he was taking. In fact, the timing was so perfect, he was suspicious that she'd actually been on to his game the whole time.

All right, maybe he was being a little paranoid. But he wouldn't put it past his wife to do something like that.

How did he get so lost? He should've been able to see the sign around every turn. But every turn he took, he seemed to get father _away_ from it. Instinct told him he was probably going around in one huge circle. The turns were starting to get familiar, but there didn't seem to be any other turns he could take.

His wife had been quiet for a while. Maybe he should say something to assure her that he was okay. "So, um, any other attractions look interesting?"

"Well, there's the Hollywood Wax Museum," Theresa said as she held up the appropriate pamphlet. "That could be fun."

Jerry wrinkled his brow. "Isn't there a wax museum in New York? I could've sworn I took the kids to one when they were little. Max animated one of the actress statues, and…" At Theresa's gasp, he gulped. He must have left the magic part out when he told her how their day went. "Never mind."

"Okay, so the wax museum isn't a good idea," Theresa said as she put the pamphlet in the discard pile on the floor. When she straightened up again, she checked the time on the car clock. Then she looked out the window. "Jerry…we're lost, aren't we?"

Jerry gulped again. _Uh oh_. "Uh…no, honey, what makes you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure I've seen that house and thought 'Wow, how can anyone need that much space?' before," Theresa replied.

As his palms started to get sweaty on the wheel, Jerry replied, "Well, all the houses are big here, Theresa. Are you sure it's the same one?"

"Yes, because I remember being jealous of the huge porch, when all we have is that little terrace," Theresa assured him. She then gave him a steady, intimidating look. "You got us lost."

She stated it as a fact. No amount of arguing would help his case. "I wouldn't say...lost, exactly," Jerry lied. "I just a took a couple wrong turns. I'll have it figured out in no time."

"Like I believe that for a second," Theresa said, her smile smug. "I so knew this would happen. I should start making _all_ by bets before the situation occurs."

Jerry gave her an annoyed glance. "Did it ever occur to _you_ that I might not appreciate the lack of support from my formerly-loving wife?"

"I'm sorry, Jerry, but this is not the first time you've gotten us lost," Theresa argued. "When we first met, for instance. You tried to take me on a romantic magic carpet ride. We made the mistake of flying over the ocean, and we couldn't see land for so long, I worried we'd end up over Europe." She then laughed at the memory.

"That was _one_ time!" Jerry snapped, which only made her chuckle more. "Just so you know, I am totally confident that I can find the way to the sign. I'm sure after a few more turns…" His gaze then drifted down the screen on the car's dashboard, labeled "Star Navigation." _T__hank goodness, I'm saved!_ "Oh, oh! GPS!"

Theresa shook her head. "Oh, no. The bet was that you'd find your way, and I quote – 'all by myself, without any help from anyone.;"

"Maybe," Jerry said. "But it was my idea to use the GPS, which would just be figuring it out _by myself_. And I don't think the GPS qualifies as any_one_."

A dark look on her face, Theresa crossed her arms. "That is a _thin_ argument, Jerry."

"But it's an argument. A valid one," Jerry replied. She reluctantly nodded in agreement. A mile-wide triumphant grin on his face, Jerry pushed the button that started up the GPS. He continued to smile as the welcome image showed. Then, a computerized male's accented voice said:

"Bienvenidos a la Navegación de Estrella. Por favor entre en su destino."

A Spanish-speaking GPS. When there was no chance his wife would translate for him.

This was confirmed when Theresa burst into laughter at the incredible irony of the situation. Jerry could only groan.

* * *

Alex was going nuts.

At first, watching a _So Random_ rehearsal sounded like though she needed to get to Chad, she'd enjoyed the opportunity. Heck, any other time, she'd be deliriously happy at the idea of spending so much time with her favorite actresses.

But after twenty minutes, she tried to make her exit. She was somewhat honest and said that she wanted to go say hello to Chad. The excuse wouldn't raise suspicion, she knew, because Selena was close friends with him. As expected, Sonny wasn't surprised…but the actress had been a little upset that "Selena" had to leave so soon. And, well, some of the assistants had gone on a coffee run. and Alex's latte still hadn't arrived yet.

So she waited until her caffeine fix came…but her window of opportunity passed.

Forty minutes later, she was sitting in a director's chair, her chin resting on her hand while she at least tried to seem interested. When she first heard all of the sketch's jokes, they were funny. But after Sonny and Tawni said them a dozen times in a dozen different ways…not so much.

"Har_per_…" Alex whined as she trudged over to her best friend. Sonny had _finally_ left "Selena" alone to go get a rip in her costume fixed, and Tawni went to grab a bite to eat. Alex could be herself for the first time since rehearsal started. "This is taking for_ever_. Come on, let's go."

But Harper pulled her back. "Alex! Sonny said she was just dropping off her dress, changing into some comfy clothes, and coming back in five minutes! You can't ditch her!"

"Why _not_?" Alex retorted.

"Because you're Selena Gomez!" Harper reminded her. "You can't have Sonny think that Selena ditched her! You could ruin their friendship!"

Alex threw up her hands in aggravation. "Why does everything become so much more complicated when you have to care about other people's _feelings_?"

About to answer, Harper was interrupted when her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID, then frowned. "It's your mom," she said, then answered the call. "Hi, Mrs. Russo…Theresa," she greeted. "What are we up to? We're…uh…hold on for a sec." She put a hand over the mouthpiece. "What were we supposed to be doing today?"

The question made Alex think in order to remember. "Wizard sites!" she exclaimed, relieved that the memory finally came to her.

"Oh, right!" Harper said, then went back to her call. "I'm still here, Theresa. Yeah, um, we're still touring those wizard sites Justin wanted to see! Have to say, I'm no wizard, but we've seen some fascinating stuff." She paused. "Uh huh…uh huh…okay, I'll see you later. Good luck."

As Harper hung up the phone, Alex raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Harper grinned. "Your parents are lost in Hollywood Hills. We don't have to worry about them for a long while."

"Got to love my dad's navigation skills," Alex said, also with a smile. Then she looked at a clock on the wall. "Look, when Sonny gets back, I'm just going to tell her that I have to leave. I mean, 'Selena' stayed for a good amount of time. Sonny should understand."

"Well, you better get back into character. Sonny's on her way over," Harper said as she nodded to Sonny coming towards them. The actress had her cell phone in hand.

"Sorry that took so long," Sonny said. Alex had to suppress a laugh when she realized that Sonny wasn't kidding. "Anyway, Selena, I have some good news! I called Chad!"

Instinct warned Alex that she probably didn't agree with Sonny's idea of "good" news. Afraid to ask, Alex replied, "Y-you did?"

"Well, you said how much you wanted to see him," Sonny continued, oblivious to "Selena" and Harper's anxiety. "So I told him to come over after he was done with lunch. He's excited that you came, Selena. He said you two haven't seen each other in a while." Despite her friends' _very_ weak attempts to appear excited, Sonny enthused, "Isn't this great? Now we can all hang out together!"

The possible consequences of Chad seeing her like this made Alex feel sick. "That's great," Alex replied through clenched teeth. One arm around her stomach, she put her other hand on Harper's shoulder for support "So great, that I think I need to lie down."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As he and Zora walked back into the prop house, Max happily finished off the cupcake he'd grabbed from the snack table after their lunch. He and the preteen actually got along pretty well – they were both mischievous, and they were used to being ignored by the older teens in their lives. They'd spent the past hour telling each other the pranks they've pulled, although something told Max that she wasn't so impressed with his…while he envied Zora's free use of the studio's vent system.

"That's so cool," Max said once again, this time around the last mouthful of frosting. "I wish our building had a vent system. Then I'd have somewhere to hide my dead amphibian collection."

Zora chuckled while she pointed to a spot in her hair. "Max, you got some frosting there…and there…you know, maybe you should put your face under running water just in case."

"Nah, I'm good, I'll save it for later," Max said as he wiped some off the spot on his cheek she'd indicated, then licked it off his finger. They continued into the prop house, and he noticed a bunch of colorful paper on the coffee table. "What are you doing? Homework?"

"Please, I finish that in five minutes. This is my real work," she said as she took a seat on the couch and indicated he sit next to her, which he did.

His brow wrinkled, Max stared at the papers. They contained letters that looked like fan mail addressed to the other _So Random_ cast members. "You steal everyone's fan mail?" He grinned. "Awesome."

But Zora shook her head. "Nope, even better. I write them _fake_ fan mail that drives them nuts." She then let out an evil little laugh. "I sent Nico and Grady letters from a fan that said _she_ would _love_ to see them walk around Hollywood dressed as cowboys. Note that they haven't been in the studio all day."

"Wow. They did that all for a fan, when they don't even know what she looks like? They're pretty desperate," Max remarked.

Zora held up a computer-printed picture of an attractive girl. "That's why I put this in with the letter. Got to love the Internet."

"Nice," Max said with a chuckle. He then sighed and looked around the room. "You know, at first I just wanted to get more time with Sonny, but this place is awesome. I wish I could spend the whole week just hanging out in the studio with you. I bet there's a bunch of cool places only you know about."

A small, flattered smile on her face, Zora shrugged. "Yeah, I do know this place inside and out. I've been on _So Random_ since I was ten." Her eyes widened. "Hey, your brother likes Tawni, right? I saw them talking in the cafeteria, and I think she could like him too. Maybe we can get them together. That way he'd want to spend the week here, and you can tag along."

Max gave an enthusiastic nod. "That's what I was thinking! But I can't come up with a plan to get them together." He sighed. "Scheming is hard for me. My sister's the expert in that department."

About to reply, Zora paused. "You have a sister? Why didn't she come with you today?"

"What do you – oh!" Max realized his mistake just in time. He had to keep reminding himself that Zora thought he was there with Selena Gomez. "Yeah, uh…she went sightseeing with my parents instead. She's, uh, not a _So Random_ fan, no offense."

Zora shrugged. "None taken. Anyway, I definitely think we can get Justin and Tawni together. Now, you're _sure_ he likes her, right? There's nothing going on between him and Selena Gomez?"

"Why would there be – oh, you mean _that_ Selena. Ew, no! Gross!" Max said with a shudder. Her mention of the real star's full name threw him off, but then he understood what she meant. The idea of his brother and sister like _that_…he couldn't even make his mind go there. At Zora's confused look, he weakly explained, "Uh, that would just be weird, 'cause Selena is like a sister to me. And Justin."

Though still bewildered at his behavior, Zora nodded. "That's good. It'll be easier to get him to make his move on Tawni."

"I don't know about that. I mean, he likes Tawni _a lot_, but he just got out of a relationship that didn't end very well," Max explained. And it was the truth. Juliet turning into a _really_ old woman wasn't exactly "ending on good terms." Justin was heartbroken for weeks.

Zora frowned. "Well, I think I heard him hit on her, and he was smiling when he walked away."

"When was this?" Max asked. He'd gone to lunch with Zora, but he didn't even see the other two.

"When you made a beeline for the snack table," Zora teased. "I'm taking it as a sign that he's at least ready to ask her out. But as for Tawni, she won't go for him unless he's a celebrity. So we need to give him an opportunity to strike."

"How do we do that?" Max asked.

While he stared in confusion, Zora pulled a magazine out from under the pile of fake fan mail. "We show her this. I've been keeping it from Tawni in case I needed to distract her." At his look, she explained, "She gets on my nerves, so I save stuff like this to keep her busy for a while."

"Wow, that's smart," Max said as he glanced at the article she was pointing to. It was a small blurb titled "Sonny vs. Tawni: Your Vote for Favorite _So Random_ Glamour Girl." Underneath was the poll results…and Sonny won by an embarrassing landslide. "Ouch. That stinks for Tawni."

Zora rolled her eyes. "Never mind that I wasn't even _included_ _in_ the stupid poll…" she muttered under her breath, but she shook it off. "Anyway, I show this to Tawni right before Romeo makes his move, and he's good to go. All he has to do is inflate her ego back to its usual enormous size."

"That's perfect! You're one of those kid geniuses, aren't you?" Max asked in admiration.

Her cheeks red from his praise, she answered, "Hey, I'm no kid! I'm fourteen!"

"Really? You seem younger on the show," Max said.

Zora shrugged. "That's 'cause I'm standing next to Hollywood Barbie and the Ultimate Girl Next Door. Tawni and Sonny tend to steal the spotlight." At Max's sympathetic look, she assured him, "Hey, don't feel bad for me. One day, they'll move on to other projects, and _I'll_ be the _So Random_ glamour girl."

"That's good. But I meant that, well, I know what you mean," Max explained. "Like I said, Justin and Alex and even my parents sometimes act like I don't exist." He figured it was okay to mention Alex at that point since he already said he had another sister. "So I know how _that_ goes."

Instead of taking it lightly, as he'd intended, this time it was Zora giving him a sympathetic look. "That's kind of sad. I'm sorry, Max."

"Don't be. I got my own stuff going on. Who needs 'em?" He joked.

Zora laughed. "I hear that one." They high-fived in agreement, then she went back to their master plan. "So you go track down your brother and ask him when he plans to make his move on Tawni." She grinned as she glanced back at the mail pile. "I've got some letters to finish up. Meet me back here when you get the info."

"Don't worry, I got this," Max said, then he left the prop house. He was on a mission to complete his part of the plan…and impress Zora when he told her about it.

* * *

While Sonny ran to get "Selena" some water, Alex had been told to relax in the director's chair in the hopes that her "stomach ache" would go away. Alex doubted her stomach would stop feeling queasy until Chad met up with them, bought the Selena story, and happily went back to his set. Which Alex was slightly nervous about, given that he could probably tell the difference between her and the real Selena. Probably being the key word. There was a chance she could still avoid getting thrown out by studio security. "Okay, let's not panic here," Alex said. "Maybe he won't recognize me!"

"Oh, come on," Harper argued, panic already in her voice. "Selena Gomez shows up on the same day he's supposed to hang out with a fan who looks just like her? From what I've read about him, Chad Dylan Cooper isn't stupid, Alex. What are we going to do?"

That was a valid argument. But Alex wasn't about to lose her cool yet. "That's when we go to plan B."

"Which is?"

"If he recognizes me, we run for the exit like our lives depended on it," Alex answered. It was a crude plan, but it would work if they really had no other choice.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "What about Justin and Max?"

"What about them?" Alex answered. "Once they realize we're gone, they'll know to make a run for it too." She paused. "That reminds me, you have to go…somewhere." It just occurred to Alex that their cover would be blown instantly if Harper was there, because Chad would recognize her from their first meeting.

Though she'd expected it, Harper sighed. "I was wondering when you'd realize that. Tell Sonny I went to find a bathroom."

Right as Harper turned into a back hallway, Sonny walked up to Alex with a bottle of water in her hand, Chad alongside her. "Here, Selena," Sonny said as she handed over the water. "Where'd your friend go?"

"Bathroom. She, uh, might not be back for a while since I wasn't sure where it was," Alex answered while she opened the bottle.

Sonny frowned. "Oh, that's too bad then. I could've told her there was one right over there," she said while she pointed in the bathroom's general direction.

"Oh, well…she'll be fine," Alex said, then turned to Chad…and held her breath.

She let that breath out when he gave her a warm smile. "Hey, Selena. Long time no see. I thought you were going to Texas for a few days this week?"

"Um…well, my friends decided to fly in to see me instead," Alex lied. Of course she had to show up when Selena was supposed to be out of town. Great. "I brought them with me today, but I don't know where the guys went."

Chad couldn't be less interested in her story. "Uh huh." At Sonny's glare, he whined, "Oh, I was just thinking about this fan who was supposed to hang out on set today. She never showed." Clearly lying, he added, "No big deal."

It took all of Alex's will power to suppress her excitement. Chad Dylan Cooper was sad that _she_ never showed! He actually cared! "I'm sure she has a good reason."

"Well of course. Why would anyone ditch _me_?" The issue cleared, he just then decided to pay attention to "Selena's" presence. "Oh, by the way Sel, did you notice that Sonny and I _haven't_ gotten together? Some relationship wizard you are!"

Before Alex could ask what the heck he meant by that, Sonny thankfully cut in. "Chad! So, the two of us had a little argument with Selena since she thought you and I should be together. It's _over_, move _on_."

"Huh…you know, you two _would _be really cute together…" Alex thought aloud. "Channy" was a frequent rumor in the tabloids (of course, she hadn't known the "Ch" was for Chad), so she could see why Selena would think that. At their aggravated looks, she quickly added, "But I can see now that assuming you two have feelings for each other is wrong."

Pleased, Sonny smiled. "Thanks Selena! That means a lot."

"You do, really?" When she nodded, Chad paused as he gave her a doubtful glance. "There's something different about you, Selena. Can't put my finger on it."

Unable to help it, Alex squirmed slightly. "Oh, uh…maybe I did my hair differently? You're probably just imagining it."

"Yeah, Chad. From what I can tell, she's the same old Selena. And we've been hanging out all day. She did come to see _me_," Sonny said, her boastful tone clearly indicating she was bragging about that fact.

Not yet convinced, Chad raised an eyebrow. "Even more reason to be suspicious," he teased Sonny, who glared at him. "I mean really, why would _my_ friend come all the way here to see _you_?"

"Her friends were big _So Random_ fans. Hah!" Sonny retorted.

Chad shrugged. "The argument still stands. Why visit _So Random_ when _Mackenzie Falls_ is right next door?"

"Well, whether you believe me or not, I _am_ Selena! Who else would I be?" Alex put in when she noticed she should be defending herself.

Her words seemed to click with him, and Chad gave her a knowing smirk. "Right. Hey, I have to check on something. I'll see you later, _Selena_." After he waved good-bye to both girls, he headed back towards his set.

Sonny stared after him with confusion. "Sorry about that, Selena. I don't know what's up with him."

"That's Chad Dylan Cooper for you. So annoyingly mysterious," Alex remarked. She wanted to smack herself. She'd thought she was being clever with her ironic use of the "who else would I be" line, but she was realizing that the very line was probably what tipped Chad off. _Stupid, stupid, stupid…_ she thought, furious at herself. _That was_ _such a rookie mistake!_

While she was furious, she was also confused. Why hadn't Chad exposed her as a fraud right then and there? Very mysterious indeed.

Fortunately, Sonny didn't pick up on Alex's inner turmoil. "I know, right?" she said with a laugh. She looked up when Marshall waved her over to where he and Tawni were already talking. "Oh, back to work, I guess. Hopefully rehearsal will be over with soon. This is just the last scene with me and Tawni, so lucky Zora got to leave already."

"Yeah, lucky Zora," Alex agreed.

"I'm sure we'll be done soon, though," Sonny assured her. "Then maybe we can go get a late lunch or something. So relax, hang out, and I'll be right back."

When Sonny left, Alex turned to find Harper hiding in the side hallway. Alex ran over and grabbed Harper's wrist. "We have to go _now_."

"Did Chad recognize you?" Harper asked as she ran alongside Alex out of the rehearsal area. "I don't see security guys anywhere."

Alex shook her head. "I think he did, but for some reason he didn't bust me…yet. So I'm going straight to plan B anyway. Come on, we're out of here!"

But Harper wouldn't follow her. "Alex! Did you say good-bye to Sonny?"

Though she wanted to lie, Alex buckled under Harper's glare. "I hate how well you know me."

"You need to say good-bye to her, _Selena_," Harper insisted. "Besides, she'll be more likely to suspect that something is up if _Selena_ just ditches her. Especially if Chad comes back and starts asking questions about you."

Alex hesitated, slightly surprised by the strong argument. "Wow, Harper. Your scheming logic is getting better. I'd like to think I had something to do with that." At her glare, she sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll go say good-bye to Sonny."

While Harper stayed behind, Alex caught up with the actress as rehearsal was about to start up again. "Hey, Sonny?" When Sonny turned around, Alex continued, "I'm really sorry, but…even though my friends _loved_ meeting you today, they do want to see some other sights while they're here in Hollywood. You understand, right?"

Though she wasn't happy about it, Sonny nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can't keep you here. Well, I loved meeting your friends too, Selena! Call me sometime and we'll hang out!"

"Definitely. Sounds great!" Alex said. When Marshall called her over to get back to rehearsal, Sonny waved good-bye as she crossed the room. A relieved smile on her face, Alex triumphantly went back over to Harper. "Okay, _now_ we're out of here."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After watching rehearsal for a half hour when he got back from lunch, Justin decided to do some exploring. Tawni was busy with rehearsal, so he knew he wouldn't get another chance to spend time with her anytime soon. And he wasn't a big _So Random_ fan, so watching the same scene rehearsed over and over wasn't exactly entertaining.

As he walked around the back hallways, Justin's curiosity was piqued when he spotted a room labeled "Costume Department." Due to the Alien Language League, he found himself in sci-fi costumes often. It might be interesting to see professional examples. Maybe he'd be inspired for his next outfit. There _was_ a sci-fi convention coming up soon, and every ALL member said they were going. As co-president, he needed to make sure his costume was one of the best.

Without much hesitation, he went into the room filled with rack after rack of brightly-colored costumes, relieved that no one else was there. He had a visitor's pass, but he didn't want any unnecessary trouble.

Since no one else was there to bother him, Justin easily got lost in browsing the costumes, especially when he came across a whole section devoted to alien and other space costumes. He was about to reach for a cool-looking space helmet, when…

Max let out a scary roar while he popped out of the rack behind Justin, a prop "wizard hat" on his head.

"Ah!" Justin yelled as he jumped back about a foot. "Why…why would you…_why_?"

Much to his annoyance, Max burst out laughing. He then took off the hat and looked at it. "You know I wish wizards _did_ wear hats like this. This one is really cool." After a second of thought, he put the hat back on his head. "I like it. It makes my head look smaller."

"I…I don't know what to say to that," Justin confessed, his arms crossed. "What are you doing back here, Max? I thought you were hanging out with Zora."

Rather than explain himself, Max replied, "And I thought _you_ were hanging out with Tawni. Dude, what are you doing back here when Tawni's in rehearsal?"

"She's _in rehearsal_. It's not like I can talk to her," Justin pointed out. It irritated him a little that _Max_ was trying to give him girl advice. Seriously, first the plane, now this?

Max shook his head. "But if you're not there, she'll think you aren't interested! You have to spend as much time with her as possible!"

"Please, it's _Tawni Hart_. I doubt she's even thinking about me," Justin retorted. He then gave Max a curious glance. "Why do you even care?"

With a casual shrug, Max answered, "I don't know…I'm your brother, aren't I? You've been really bummed since the whole Juliet thing." At Justin's incredulous glance, he added, "And I figure if you and Tawni get together for the week we're here, you'll be spending more time at the studio, and I can tag along to hang out with Zora…and Sonny."

"Ah, now it all makes sense," Justin said. Of course, his first instinct was to stop flirting with Tawni just to take a stand against Max using him. But…he really did want to date Tawni Hart, if only for the time he'd be in Hollywood. "You really think Tawni will go out with me?"

Max shrugged. "She talked to you, didn't she?"

After he gave the argument some consideration, Justin sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll go back to the stage. But for Tawni. Not for you."

"I'm cool with that," Max said as he started to direct Justin to the door. "Okay, I passed by the stage, and they're taking another break. I think I saw Tawni heading for the prop house. You go get her!"

The news made Justin freeze. He'd been expecting to go back and watch her rehearse, not…have a _one-on-one conversation with her_. He could already feel the panic start to set in. "B-but Max, what do I even say…"

Instead of replying, Max simply pushed him out the door, then closed the costume department door behind him. Left alone in the hallway, Justin gathered his courage…and headed for the prop house.

* * *

The will to step in and fix the situation was getting too strong. Theresa and Jerry had been driving around the same area for an _hour_, just because he couldn't understand the GPS. At that point, she didn't even care about the stupid sign anymore. She'd seen it quite enough times from a distance since it came into view every other turn they made. All she wanted was to get back to the main streets…and find a restaurant with a bathroom.

"Jerry, please, let me translate!" Theresa whined, her head in her hand as she leaned on the car window. "This is getting ridiculous! Just admit that you're lost!"

But as she'd expected, Jerry stubbornly shook his head. "No! _We are not lost._ I think we've been driving around enough that I can figure out a way back. Won't be too much longer."

"Okay, you do remember saying that a half hour ago, right?" Theresa snapped. She was getting sick of Jerry's ego. Because of it, she'd wasted hours of her vacation driving around the exact same area. While at first the scenery was nice, she was starting to recognize every mansion, every expensive car, every nicely-trimmed _tree_ they passed.

Jerry let out an exasperated sigh. "I could get us out of here a lot faster if you stopped nagging me!"

"Well, I have a right to nag! We've been in this car for _three hours_, Jerry!" Theresa yelled. "Just be grateful I convinced you to stop at some other attractions first. If this whole day had been wasted because of _you_, _then_ I'd be nagging even _more_!"

At that, Jerry glared at her. "How is this _my_ fault? You're the one who made the stupid bet in the first place! When I hadn't even gotten us lost yet!"

"Please. We _both_ know you would've gotten us lost eventually," Theresa said as she crossed her arms.

About to retort, Jerry was interrupted as the accented GPS voice spoke again.

"Haga el siguiente encender su derecha."

The argument was dropped instantly so Jerry could focus on translating the directions, and trying to match it up with the map on the screen. "Okay, based on my experience with this thing so far, 'haga el siguiente encender su' means 'make the next turn on your.'"

Relieved he was finally catching on, Theresa nodded in encouragement. "Yeah, that's it." Though at first she'd been amused at his misfortune that the GPS just happened to speak Spanish, the novelty quickly faded. She just wanted him to get them out of there, even if it meant he "won" the bet. She'd even reminded him that there might be a way to change the language settings. Reluctantly he did try it, but neither of them were able to figure it out.

After some thought, he continued, "So 'derecha' means…" He paused dramatically, then said with confidence, "Left." And then he made the turn accordingly.

He was too busy driving to notice Theresa's frustrated groan. _It means right! Izquierda is left! _She wanted to scream it at him, get the basic Spanish lesson through his thick skull. She told him the difference about a dozen times so far, but no matter what, by the time they got to the next instructed turn, he wouldn't have a clue.

Oblivious to her internal struggle, Jerry confidently drove along the stretch of road. "Hey, I don't recognize this street!" He gave her a smug grin. "See? Told you I didn't get us lost. I'm sure the main road is just around the next bend."

"Oh yeah, honey, you really showed me," Theresa said, barely detectable sarcasm in her tone. It went over Jerry's head, and he happily went back to driving. Meanwhile, Theresa lied her head back on her seat, closed her eyes, and tried not to scream.

_Ay Dios mio_, she thought. _We're never getting out of here._

* * *

Despite their efforts to make a quick exit, Harper and Alex found themselves lost in Condor Studios fifteen minutes later. There'd been a door closer to the rehearsal stage, but it had been locked. Of course they remembered how to get to where they'd originally entered that morning, but, well, all the hallways tended to look the same after a few turns.

"Alex, maybe we should just stop and ask the next person we see," Harper suggested. She was getting nervous the longer they were in the studio. Chad could have easily reported them to security already, and the security guards might find them before _they_ found the door.

They came to a fork in the corridor, so Alex paused to decide which way to go. "No way," she insisted. "Chad could have everyone in the whole studio looking for us by now."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll admit that security could be after us, but I highly doubt we're public enemy number one. Just tell someone you're Selena Gomez, and I'm sure they'll be so overwhelmed they won't think twice about it."

"Wow…again, impressed with the scheming logic," Alex said with a nod of approval.

Unable to suppress a proud grin, Harper shrugged. "Well, you know, I do hang out with a master all the time. It was bound to happen."

"Aw, thanks Harper! I am a master, aren't I?" Alex said. Then she went back to finding their way out. "Oh, right, finding a door." She paused. "Uh…this way." Before Harper could say anything, Alex grabbed her wrist and pulled her in that direction.

About to protest, Harper stopped when her cell phone rang. "Uh oh, it's your mom again. We need to answer it!" Reluctantly, Alex stopped while Harper answered. "Hi Mrs…Theresa," she corrected herself quickly. She still couldn't get used to that. "So, did you guys find the main road yet…no?" She was going to ask if there was anything she could do, when Alex indicated she should wrap it up. "Well, uh, we're kind of busy with the wizard sites, so…"

Unfortunately, she couldn't get off the phone fast enough. At the other end of the long hallway they had just gone down, a couple of security guards appeared. One pointed and shouted loudly, "Hey, there's the Selena imposter! Get them!"

She could hear Theresa asking what was going on through the phone, but Harper just sputtered, "Okay, got to go, bye!" She then threw the phone back in her bag as she and Alex sprinted down the hallway, all the while hearing the guards' heavy footsteps.

They didn't need to run for long, however. After some more turns, Harper and Alex successfully lost the guards. "Okay, mental note," Alex said while they stopped to catch their breaths. "Condor Studio guards don't run very fast."

After she'd calmed herself down a little, Harper argued, "Okay, now we _have_ to find your brothers. The guards are probably looking for them too!"

"Oh I guess you're right," Alex muttered, not happy that their exit would be delayed. "And then Justin and Max would rat me out in a second. Yeah, we have to find them."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "That, and if we don't, your brothers would be _arrested_!"

"Please, I doubt we'd all actually be arrested. We'd probably just be escorted out and given a stern talking-to," Alex said hopefully. At Harper's doubtful glance, she frowned. "Okay, I don't know that for sure, but it sounds like it could be true, right?"

They began heading down the hallway again, and Harper asked, "So where _are_ Justin and Max, anyway? I didn't see them by the rehearsal stage anymore when we left."

"Ugh, finding them is going to take _forever_," Alex whined. "Come on, let's just leave 'em to fend for themselves. Jail will be good for Justin! It'll man him up a little!"

"Alex!"

"Okay, fine!"

They turned to leave when they found their path blocked by two guys walking up the other way. The two were dressed in full cowboy outfits, complete with hats and bandanas.

"Oh my gosh, it's Selena Gomez!"

Both Alex and Harper winced. Nico Harris, who had spotted them, proceeded to drag Grady Mitchell down the hallway. "Oh my gosh, it's really you!" Grady exclaimed.

Surprised, Alex sputtered, "Uh, yeah, it's really me!"

"And I'm really Selena Gomez's best friend Harper Finkle. Nice to meet you!" Harper put in. Wary that the guards could catch up at any moment, she hoped Nico and Grady just wanted to say hello.

Alex seemed to be thinking the same, since she said, "Hey, guys, great to see you, but I have to get to…rehearsal. We can hang out another time, bye!"

But of course, like Sonny, the boys weren't going to let them go so easily. Apparently every _So Random_ cast member was a huge Selena fan. "Wait, Sel!" Nico said as he block their path. "Can I call you Sel? Anyway, Grady and I were just arguing over who had the better cowboy accent…when we realized, we both stink."

"Big time! I can't even say 'partner' right," Grady remarked, genuinely sad about the fact.

Nico shook his head. "Sad, but true. Anyway, since you're such a great actress, we'd be honored if you could help us with our accents."

"Uh…um…I _really_ don't have time…" Alex paused when up ahead, she saw security guards pass by the other end of the hall, where they had been heading to find the guys. "But for you guys, anything! I just love those Dolphin Boy sketches!"

Incredibly flattered, Nico and Grady just stared at her in shock. "Oh…my…gosh…Selena Gomez loves my acting! You are officially my favorite celebrity!"

"Aw, thanks! If you'll excuse us for just a sec…" Alex said as she pulled Harper over to the side, then asked in a whisper, "Any advice on doing a good cowboy accent?"

Harper shrugged. "Say 'partner' a lot?" Alex frowned at Harper's apologetic look. But since Nico and Grady were looking over at them with curiosity, the girls regrouped …and hoped the guards would go search somewhere else before the boys questioned "Selena's" accent skills.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Justin felt his heart beat faster and faster as he neared the prop house. Though he did want to get closer with Tawni, he hoped that Max was wrong, that Tawni wasn't in there. Since Max was usually wrong, chances were good that Justin wouldn't have to face her and could put off his awkward flirting.

To be honest, he had no idea how being alone with Tawni had gone so well before. She seemed to find him amusing, which he supposed worked in his favor because he wouldn't be able to pull off a smooth, macho image with her. His own sense of humor, and flattery, seemed to help as well. Based on that, he figured if he was funny, maybe even a little goofy, and kept up the compliments, he'd win Tawni over.

Any kind of plan he had flew out of his head when he turned into the prop house. There was Tawni…crying over a magazine in her hands.

_Uh oh…she's upset…maybe I should just come back later…_

_No!_ he argued with himself. _Comfort her, stupid!_

_But what if you just make her feel worse?_

_So what? You can't pass up an opportunity like this! _Go_!_

His less-sensitive side won out, and Justin tentatively walked into the room. When she looked up, he could see that her tears had caused her mascara to run. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. "Guests can't walk around the building on their own."

_They also can't sneak in thanks to their sister pretending to be Selena Gomez. Studio security hasn't really been a big concern today_, Justin thought. But he hid his smirk and replied, "Uh, Sonny said it was okay for me to come back here. To, uh…see the prop house again We didn't really get a chance to look around that much before."

"Oh. Well, I don't care what she said. Go away," Tawni ordered, then put her head in her hands.

"Come now, I…I can't leave a pretty girl crying by herself," he said. He worked up some courage and sat down on the far end of the couch. "What happened?"

Too distressed to argue further, she just shoved the magazine in his hands. "_That article_ happened. I am _so sick_ of the stupid press comparing me and Sonny! That's like comparing cute, stylish apples to fashion challenged oranges!"

"I'm sorry, Tawni…" Justin said as he glanced at the article. He winced. It was pretty harsh – "Sonny vs. Tawni: Your Vote for Favorite _So Random_ Glamour Girl." Sonny won with 75-percent. Ouch. Even worse was the short blurb that went with it, suggesting why fans voted the way they did. "This…you can't let yourself be upset by this trash! Saying that you don't stop to talk with fans when out in public…that's ridiculous! They can't judge you based on that!"

Tawni forcefully shook her head in agreement, to the point where some of her hair almost reached where Justin was sitting. "I know, _right_? They can't expect me to just _stop what I'm doing_ when I'm on my way to rehearsal or going to get my nails done! I am not a machine!"

"Yeah..well, you can be a few minutes late to a nail appointment…" Justin had to point out. At her death glare, he quickly swallowed his argument. "I mean, how dare they! It's not your fault that you don't meet their unrealistic demands!"

"Exactly!" Tawni sobbed. "But it's never enough, because…" In a mocking voice, she ranted, "'Sonny's so nice! Sonny's so sweet! Sonny signed autographs for an hour when fans mobbed her at a restaurant!' Everyone expects me to be Little Miss Perfect too, and it's not fair!"

When she continued to cry, Justin awkwardly paused as he thought of what to say. Honestly, he didn't have too much experience on this subject because he was usually on the other side of the comparison – Alex complained about being compared to him all the time, didn't she? That got him thinking about how Alex seemed to have total confidence, even though she didn't have the respect of anyone around her. How did _she_ do it? "You know…my sister's like you, Tawni. Everyone is always ragging her, all the time. And she just…doesn't care. Now, for the most part I don't approve of my sister's life views, but in this case I think she's got the right one." He paused. "Just don't tell her that."

"How would I? I don't even know your sister," Tawni said. "Hey, why isn't she here today?"

Justin paused for a brief second to come up with the excuse. "She, uh, went sightseeing with our parents. Anyway, look, the point is that the old saying is true…you really shouldn't care about what other people think. If you're happy with yourself, then if they don't get you, that's their loss."

"It is, isn't it?" Tawni agreed, a little better but not entirely cheered up. "But even so…what everyone says is still really mean. It's a little hard to ignore that."

"I know. But the trick is to distract yourself and try to ignore it the best you can," Justin suggested. This he actually _did_ have experience with. He'd been considered a nerd for most of his life, and still was sometimes. "Kids at school talk about me all the time. But I don't let it bother me, because I love stuff like building robots and being in the Alien Language League. I'm not going to change that for people I don't even know."

After his little speech, Tawni took an appropriate amount of time to let it sink in. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then she burst out laughing. "The _Alien Language League_? What is that even about?"

Surprised, Justin stuttered, "U-uh…what the name says. It's where fellow extraterrestrial admirers gather to learn alien speak."

"Oh my gosh, stop!" she begged through her hysterical laughter. She was actually holding her stomach and gasping for breath.

Though of course disappointed by the turn of events, he still said, "I'm glad you're feeling better. Hey, I'll be in LA for the rest of the week, so if you want we can…"

"Sorry, I have to get back to rehearsal," she said through remaining chuckles as she stood up and began to walk out. When she rounded the corner into the hallway, Justin could see her throw back her head and exclaim, "_What a geek!_"

Humiliated, Justin leaned back on the couch, his eyes closed. "Well, it's like you said," he muttered to himself. "If she doesn't get you, it's her loss."

The logic made sense. But since in this case the 'her' was _Tawni Hart_, he couldn't help but feel that the loss was definitely his.

* * *

While Max looked around the deserted hallway, Zora climbed out of the vent in the wall next to him. He'd just climbed out of the vent as well, though he had to admit, she made it look more graceful. "That was so much fun! I haven't climbed through vents since I was ten!"

As she stood up and dusted herself off, Zora snapped, "Why, is this too childish for you?"

"No, of course not," Max replied, not sure why she had taken his remark that way. What was childish about climbing through vents? " Our vents are a little smaller than these. I got stuck when I tried two weeks ago."

Zora chuckled. "That must have been uncomfortable."

"Not really. I just…I mean yeah, it was," Max said quickly. He'd forgotten that when he got stuck, he'd used magic to pull himself out, then shrunk himself down so he could go back in. "But that's a sweet set up you have up there in the prop house! Must be fun to just kick back with some candy and spy on all of your co-stars."

"Oh yeah. Way better than actual TV." Zora paused and frowned. "I'm, uh, sorry it didn't work out with your brother and Tawni. It would've been fun hanging out with you."

Max shrugged. "Yeah…hey, we can hang out at the motel where my family's staying! It'll be fun." He took the marker out of his pocket and wrote his cell phone number on her arm. "Just, uh, call me when you're not busy this week."

While she stared at the ink on her arm, Zora nodded. "I think I'd like that." She wrinkled her brow. "Wait, why are you staying at a motel? Wouldn't you be staying with Selena?"

"Okay, Zora, I like you, so I'll tell you the truth." Max looked around to make sure no one could hear then said in a very low whisper, "My sister Alex looks exactly like Selena Gomez and used that to sneak into the studio."

Zora's eyes widened. "No way! She looks _exactly_ like Selena Gomez….then again, why would you bother lying about something like that…"

"Yeah. You're not going to rat me out, right?" Max asked, suddenly nervous when he realized that she could easily get him in trouble.

After a second of thought, Zora chuckled. "No way. It will be _much_ funnier if everyone finds out for themselves that Selena isn't really Selena." She sighed with happiness. "I love it! It's always so amusing to watch someone else's plan fall apart."

"Well, I mean, it might not fall apart. We've gotten away with it all day," Max pointed out.

But Zora shook her head. "Nope. Huge plans like this one _always_ fall apart. Trust me, my friend, it's only a matter of…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Alex and Harper rushed down the hallway. "Max, there you are!" Alex shouted. When she got close, she glanced around in confusion. "What are you doing back here?"

Max pointed to the vent. "This is where Zora and I got out of the vent."

"Oh…kay then," Harper said. "Look, we have to get out of here. The security guards are right behind us! We think Chad figured out that Alex isn't Selena."

Her head tilted, Alex remarked, "You know, I've been thinking, and meeting up with Harper right _before_ we left the rehearsal stage was probably what did it."

"See? It's always the smallest stuff that messes you up. Rookie mistake," Zora chided.

Alex glared at Zora, then grabbed Max's arm. "Come on, Max, we have to go find Justin and get out of here." She paused. "Your little girlfriend here isn't going to rat us out, right?"

"Hey, he's not my – "

"Hey, she's not my – "

"Whatever, let's _go_!" Alex demanded while she started to pull Max down the hallway, Harper right behind them.

As he was pulled away, Max shouted over his shoulder, "Bye, Zora, thanks for everything! Call me!"

* * *

They found Max. And Max guided their way back to the prop house, where Justin had been going. And they hadn't run into any security guards in the last five minutes.

Even though she knew she was jinxing it, Alex actually did think they might get away with this. But they weren't home free yet. They had to hope that Justin was still in the prop house.

With Max leading the way – man, she never thought she'd think _that_ – the hallways started to seem familiar. Sure enough, they rounded the corner and saw the prop house door down the hall. The trio let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw Justin in the room alone. "Justin!" Alex exclaimed.

The noise startled Justin, who'd had his head back and his eyes closed. "Alex? What are you doing here…we're busted, aren't we? I _knew_ this was a bad idea!"

"Bet you didn't think it was such a bad idea when you got to talk to Tawni!" Alex snapped.

His arms crosses as he stood up, Justin retorted, "She thinks I'm a geek now, so yeah, I'm back to thinking this was a bad idea."

"Uh, guys? Can we fight about this _after_ we get out of here?" Harper begged.

"Right," Alex said as she pulled out her wand. No way she was getting lost again when she could just zap them out. "Hold on, let me think of a spell…"

But nervous Justin took her wand and stuck it back in her boot. "Are you crazy!" he hissed. "There are probably security cameras in here! You'll get us exposed!"

Frustrated, Alex stomped her foot. "_Fine_! We'll make this even harder for ourselves!" she snapped. "Anyone know the closest exit?"

"I think Zora mentioned there being an emergency exit somewhere around here," Max said.

As they all gave him hopefully looks, Harper asked, "Do you remember where it was?"

"Of course I do!" Max replied with an incredulous glance at her. "'Somewhere around here.' Duh."

While the others groaned in aggravation, Justin reasoned, "Well, we probably shouldn't count on that anyway, because it might be one of those emergency exits that trip the fire alarm unless you have a key. We're better off using a regular exit."

"Oh, there's one by the set! And none of the cast is there because they're all at rehearsal!" Alex suggested, proud of her plan.

However, Harper was quick to point out, "But that's the main entrance. There are bound to be at least a few security guards there."

"Fine, then, do you have…" Alex trailed off mid-retort and actually rolled her eyes. The answer was so obvious, they were stupid for not thinking of it first. "Uh, hello? Why don't we just go somewhere there _isn't_ a security camera? Then we can just use magic to get back to the motel."

The others paused as realization dawned on them. "U-uh, I thought of that…" Justin lied. "But you know how we're not supposed to use magic unsupervised, so…"

"Oh, hush up! Let's just get out of here, okay? I'm tired of this whole situation," Alex snapped.

The group turned to leave, when Sonny and Chad stepped into the room. Each of the stars' arms were crossed, their heads tilted, extreme annoyance on their faces. Well, Sonny was more annoyed, while Chad looked a little amused.

Her heart pounding with the knowledge that she'd been caught, Alex blurted the first excuse to came to mind. "Hi, Chad! It's Alex, from yesterday, remember? Heard Selena was on set before dressed _exactly_ like me. Amazing how we look alike, huh?" When neither stars' stony expression changed, Alex lowered her eyes. "Not buying it? All right then."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

There was an awkward silence as both groups stared each other down. Alex's instincts were screaming at her to just run for the door and not look back. But chances were that guards were standing right outside, if not on their way. Maybe she could just freeze time and…wait, no, then mortal Harper would be frozen too…oh, there had to be _some_ spell to fix this… "I can explain…" she uneasily began. "…uh, somehow…"

The pressure too intense, Harper exclaimed, "We did it! Well, technically Alex did it but we all went along with it so we did it too – "

"Look, I don't know who any of you really are, but I can't believe anyone would do something so mean!" Sonny yelled, on the verge of tears. "I've been trying to be friends with the _real_ Selena ever since she was almost in Chad's movie, and now _this_? Why would you do something so hurtful?"

Though she had just been thinking of escaping this mess, Alex felt guilt start to creep up on her too. She had no idea that finding out the truth would hurt Sonny so much. And while she was self-centered, she was never _purposefully_ mean to people she didn't even know well. "I…I'm sorry, Sonny. I never meant to hurt you at all," Alex began, with a deep sincerity that had Justin and Harper raising an eyebrow at her in surprise. "I was just using it as a way to get into the studio. I told Chad that I was here with Marshall, so I couldn't call him to let me in, because he'd wonder why I didn't get to the studio when Marshall got here."

"So, what, you're just a fan who snuck away from the tour group?" Chad guessed. When Alex nodded, he tilted his head in confusion. "Why didn't you just have the front desk call me and say that you decided to get here on your own?"

"B-because…" Alex trailed off, embarrassed. After all she went through, it could have been as simple as that? Really? But since she would rather spontaneously combust right there on the spot than admit such a humiliating error, she reasoned, "Because I thought Marshall would have heard about someone claiming to know him personally! Pretending to be Selena was just easier!"

Alex held her breath for a brief second while Chad considered her thin reasoning. She let it out when he only shrugged. "True," Chad admitted. "Security probably would have let him know. They tend to keep Marshall updated anyway given how many times they have to talk to him about Zora."

"Uh huh! And who knew if you had talked to Marshall already? You would've told security that Marshall said I wasn't coming, then again, they would have checked in with him," Alex pointed out. Since she was on the defensive, the reasoning came easier. _Shame on Chad for trying to make me look stupid_, she thought triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Sonny had been growing more and more upset. "Why didn't you just tell Chad the truth, then? I'm sure he would have been glad to hang out with you even if you were just a fan."

But Chad shook his head. "No, not really." While Alex smirked and Sonny glared at him, he explained, "Come on, taking those corny little _So Random_ set tours is kind of lame. Actually, being a big _So Random_ fan is kind of lame."

"Besides, I didn't want to get in trouble for sneaking into Sonny and Tawni's dressing room," Alex pointed out. When Sonny's glare was then directed at her, she added, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Okay, look, none of this _matters_," Justin snapped. "Can we just get to our punishment? I'd like to know if I'm spending the night in jail or not."

Before either of the stars could answer, Alex put up a quieting hand in her brother's direction, which made him glare at her too. "Hold on, I have to know. How I did you figure out I wasn't Selena?"

"Uh…I talked to the real Selena?" Chad offered, as if it should have been obvious. "I suspected something was up so I gave her a call. She _is_ visiting family in Texas right now, by the way. And she thinks this whole thing is totally hilarious." He paused. "I have to agree with her, actually."

Furious, Sonny shook her head. "Chad! This is _not funny_! Someone _tricked_ me into thinking I was hanging out with Selena Gomez all day!"

"Hey, that's your fault for being gullible," Chad pointed out, then smirked with satisfaction when Sonny only became angrier.

At that, Max gave the two a hopeful glance. "So does that mean we're off the hook?"

"Yeah, come on Chad! You can appreciate a good, uh, prank, right?" Alex quickly suggested. It would be _so_ nice if they all just got past this incident. Unfortunately, she suspected nothing was that simple.

Her suspicions were correct. Chad just laughed at her. "You're kidding, right?" he said through his laughter. "Not only are you a huge _So Random_ fan, but you did all this just to hang out with _me_, which means you lied and that you _are_ a _Mackenzie Falls_ fan. My work is already done. Peace out, suckas!"

"B-but I'm not…" Alex tried to protest, however Chad was already out the door. Which left the four with enraged Sonny, who still had her arms crossed and a ticked off look on her face. "So, uh…I guess you're not just going to forgive us and let us go, are you?"

Sonny shook her head. "Nope." She stepped aside and signaled to the hallway. At her cue, several irritated security guards back in. "Hope you enjoyed your day at Condor Studios," she said to the other teens. "Because you won't get another one."

That said, she stomped out of the prop house. As her brothers and Harper became _extremely_ nervous, Alex gave the familiar guards what she hoped was a charming smile. "Hey, weren't you chasing us earlier? Yeah, sorry about knocking over that bucket of soapy water before. No harm no foul, right?"

But the guards paid her no attention as they each grabbed one of the troublemakers by the arm and started to take them out of the studio.

* * *

Despite his wife's total lack of faith in him, Jerry thought he was doing pretty well, especially since he finally understood what most of the Spanish words meant. What helped him translate was the Hollywood sign itself. He was able to judge from the sign's position if the directions were telling him to make a turn or keep going forward. Though Theresa had scoffed at him, he had to give himself a pat on the back for figuring that out.

For the past half hour, frustrated Theresa had been begging him to just admit that he lost. But there was no way he would when he was _this_ close to finding their way out.

"Okay, according to this thing," he said as he tapped the GPS. "We're near to the main road. Only a few more turns." When there was no sarcastic response, he glanced at the passenger seat.

Theresa was fast asleep, tourist maps still in her lap. Jerry shook his head as he turned back to the road. While a little annoyed that his only company had fallen asleep, he was happy that he wouldn't have to hear her nagging. But he hoped he didn't fall asleep himself, since driving around the same roads for hours had made him more than a little sleepy. When they _did_ eventually reach the motel, he was so heading up to his room for a nap, no matter what anyone said.

He breathed a massive sigh of relief at the scenery change after he made the next turn. Instead of houses there was…a wide dirt road, that led to a main street. He finally made it!

"Theresa!" he shouted. Excited, he shoved her shoulder to wake her up with one hand while he kept his other hand on the wheel. "Theresa, look! I _told_ you I could do it! There's the highway!"

Still sleepy, Theresa blinked a few times while she straightened up and ran her fingers through her hair. "That's great. Make sure you stop at the first fast food restaurant you see so I can use their bathroom."

Jerry grunted with annoyance. Sure, she could pretend she didn't care all she wanted. But he _knew_ that she was secretly impressed, even if she never admitted it. "I'll keep that in mind," he snapped. "Of course you realize this means you lost and I – "

His victory rant was interrupted when Theresa's cell phone rang. "Hello?" She paused, her eyes wide with attention. "Harper? Honey, what…you're _where_? Oh, Alex is in a _world_ of trouble...Justin and Max too? I can't believe that Justin would go along with such a _ridiculous_…okay, Jerry and I are leaving the Hollywood sign now…yes we're _just leaving now_, I'll fill you all in later…well, if your time is up I'll let you go. We'll be there in about twenty minutes."

Though he hated to ask, Jerry gave her a questioning look. She sighed. "We need to pick the kids up from Condor Studios' holding room." At his panicked expression, she said, "I'll explain on the way."

"Let me guess – _Alex_," he replied. Without hesitation, she nodded. Jerry shook his head. Somehow, he wasn't even surprised that his daughter had been what ruined his victory, and any chance of a nap.

* * *

No matter what Condor Studios called it, the "holding room" Harper and the Russo siblings found themselves shoved into was a jail cell. So what if there was a cushioned bench, a carpeted floor, and a door made of bars that were painted a light tan color.

Under that paint, there were cold metal bars keeping them in. To Harper, it was jail.

She never imagined she'd ever be locked in a cell. Although, come to think of it, she really should have since she chose Alex as her best friend. Alex was constantly dragging her into crazy situations. It was really only a matter of time before one of those situations turned illegal.

"Well, I talked to your mom," Harper said to the others. She had been escorted back into the room about ten minutes ago, after she had been the one to make the dreaded phone call to the Russo parents. When she saw how tense and upset everyone was, however, she'd decided to keep quiet until she couldn't take the silence anymore. "She and your dad will be here in twenty minutes. They're leaving the Hollywood sign now." When the others all gave her incredulous looks, she explained, "I think she mentioned earlier that they stopped at some other places first, but yeah…your dad got them _really_ lost."

"That's nuts…but then again, Dad still gets lost in Citi Field, so…" Justin said with a shrug.

Max shook his head. "Hey, he said he didn't get us lost, he just wanted to get some exercise!" When Justin gave him a meaningful look, Max's eyes widened. "_Oh_. You know, I did think it was weird when he stopped to ask that hot dog vendor for directions back to our seats."

"Ugh, this just _isn't fair_!" Alex suddenly exclaimed. She'd been pacing the room, ignoring the others' conversation up until that point, so her shout made them all jump. "After what happened in Puerto Rico, I _deserved_ a good vacation this time around! But now, when Mom and Dad pick us up, they aren't going to let us out of our sight for the rest of the trip! This is going to be the worst week _ever_, and it's all because of stupid Chad Dylan Cooper!"

After a brief moment of quiet, Justin tentatively pointed out, "Maybe I'm missing something, but aren't _you_ the one who pretended to be Selena Gomez?"

Alex gave him a death glare. "Because _Chad_ invited me to hang out with him! And we got caught because _Chad_ called the real Selena Gomez! And you know what, I'm mad at her too! Why does he have to be all…looking like me…" She paused as she realized how much she didn't make sense. "Oh, whatever, it's still not my fault! Which makes being stuck in studio jail and probably grounded for who knows how long totally unfair!"

"Okay, I'll admit that the rest of this trip probably won't be very fun but…think of what we got to do!" Harper argued. Her positive outlook couldn't be beaten down by studio security, apparently. "We got to spend the whole day with celebrities! Come on now, what other fan can say they got to sit in on a _So Random_ rehearsal?"

Though reluctant, Alex shrugged. "I guess that was pretty cool. But you can't deny that the rest of this trip is going to be pure torture."

Still, Harper insisted, "Yeah, torture in _Hollywood_! Even if your parents drag us to all sorts of tourist attractions, we'll still be seeing LA! We could end up spotting even more celebrities! Or, you know, you can pout for the whole rest of the vacation, whatever you want."

"Yeah, I mean, I'm happy right now," Max added. "I got to hang out with Zora, _and_ climb through some vents! This was pretty much the most awesome day ever."

They all turned to Justin, who glared. "Tawni Hart now thinks I'm the biggest geek in the world. I pass on my part of the uplifting speech."

"Yeah, but you got to _talk_ to Tawni Hart, which never would have happened in a million years," Alex said with a laugh, then paused. "Hey, I think your little pep talk worked. I am feeling better."

Harper nodded, thrilled that Alex was finally seeing the silver lining. "It's like I've been saying since we got here! All that matters is that we're all here in Hollywood!"

"True," Alex confessed. "Plus we can spend the rest of the trip figuring out how to get away from my parents, and that's always fun! Of course, we just have to get past the messy business of Mom and Dad yelling at us when they get here to pick us up."

Harper, Justin and Max gave her angry looks and exclaimed in unison, "_Us_?"

Her hands on her hips, Alex replied, "Hey, you all went along with it, didn't you? As Mom and Dad have said _many_ times, that's almost as bad as doing the crime itself." She then smirked at her older brother. "Especially for the person supposed to be in charge, right Justin?"

"Oh my gosh," Justin replied as his face turned white. "I-I was in charge! I forgot about that! Oh this is bad, I knew I should have stopped you from sneaking in! But _no_, I just _had_ to see if you could pull it off!" He glared at her. "I hope you know that's the only reason I _ever_ let you get away with stuff."

But Alex only laughed at him. "Right. Whatever makes you feel better."

"Come on guys, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Harper tried to assure them, though even she knew the argument was weak. "It's not like this goes on your criminal record or anything…I think…"

"Alexandra Margarita Russo, _what did you do_?"

Theresa's harsh exclamation made all four teens slowly turn towards the cell door, where Theresa and Jerry stood side by side, their arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Harper had told them to pick them up because Alex had wanted to sneak into the studio…but she hadn't explained more than that.

Nervous, Alex slowly approached the bars. "Hey…Mom and Dad…uh, this isn't as bad as it looks…"

"Don't you love when explanations start that way, Theresa?" Jerry remarked sarcastically.

"Okay, what happened was that I…kind of pretended to be Selena Gomez to get past security…" Alex continued while her parents' eyes widened. "Yeah, and it worked perfectly…until Chad Dylan Cooper called the _real_ Selena. And, well, I'm thinking you can figure out what happened from there."

As the atmosphere became more tense, Harper rushed up to the bars so she could talk to Jerry and Theresa. "Hey, um, I know we're all in big trouble, but could you get us out first? Being trapped tends to make me panic."

Thankfully, her rising distress worked, so Jerry and Theresa went to fill out the proper paperwork that would set their kids free. However, when she realized that they would all have to face the parents' wrath in the car ride home, Harper wondered if they would've been better off staying in the cell.


	11. Epilogue

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, everyone! You are all amazing!

Right now I'm finishing up my WOWP story "Alternate Reality." Soon, however, I plan to write a WOWP/Good Luck Charlie crossover called "Duncans vs. Vampires." I'm not really sure when that will be posted since I haven't started working on it, but definitely within the next month.

Thanks again! Can't believe this story took me six months to write. I'll miss it.

* * *

**Epilogue**

They never did get to the Fashion District.

After the Russo parents bailed their kids out of studio jail, the kids had been punished by being forced to spend the rest of the day in the motel. Then, since neither parent wanted to be trapped in the motel to supervise grounded teenagers for the rest of the week, they settled for – as Harper predicted – taking them along wherever they went.

Unfortunately, because of some bet that no one ever cared to ask about, Theresa decided to just skip the District all together. That had been the first attack on Harper's positive outlook. The young designer had been looking forward to that attraction the most, as none of the others the family planned to visit were fashion-related.

Then started the pure torture of being dragged all over Hollywood while Alex and even Justin whined the entire time. Harper couldn't have exaggerated that if she wanted to. Literally, not one moment went by where the older siblings didn't complain about something, whether it was if they were hot or cold, if they fought over a seat on the tour bus, or if they were just bored. Justin was generally more tolerable when in a grumpy mood, but given his recent humiliation, he wasn't in the mindset to see the glass half-full either.

Harper kept trying to remind herself of the fun they'd had their first couple of days in Hollywood, but the task became more difficult every time an argument broke out. She then tried to lose herself in the attractions they did end up seeing. Some were sort of interesting, of course. But even she had to draw the line when Jerry insisted on eating at every fast-food establishment that boasted celebrity customers. At first she didn't mind because she needed to eat too, however when Jerry became a little obsessive with his quest, her stomach started to get queasy at just the sight of a drive-thru window.

So when Jerry pulled the rental car into yet another In-N-Out Burger, this one rumored to be a favorite of the Jonas Brothers, every single passenger groaned. "Didn't we eat a half hour ago, Jerry? I'm still full," Harper whined.

Oh, and she'd become much more comfortable with calling the Russo parents by their first names. Since everyone had been spending every second together, Harper got sick of Theresa reminding her, so the honorary Russo adjusted.

"But we might see the _Jonas Brothers_!" Jerry insisted as he ignored their protests and parked the car.

In disbelief, Justin retorted, "You're a Jonas Brothers fan, Dad?"

"No, but…Alex is, right?"

"Actually I think they're way overrated…"

Jerry turned to Harper. "What about you? I heard you listening to them once!"

Well, she couldn't really lie her way out of that one. Easily, at least. "Yes, I'm a fan," Harper reluctantly replied. At that, everyone groaned again while they got out of the car.

An hour later, the family was finishing up their mid-afternoon snack. Though not happy about leaving the kids alone for more than a few minutes, Jerry and Theresa allowed them to eat at a table outside. The parents stayed inside, which was what Jerry preferred in order to "get the whole dining experience." However, he and Alex were the only ones who'd actually ordered a meal, since everyone else couldn't stomach one more greasy burger.

When they finished ordering their food, Max had taken the opportunity to call up Zora – who'd already called to give him her number – and invite her to hang out for a little while. Since Max was just an "innocent bystander" of the whole plan, his parents were more willing to let him socialize on his own. Zora had been free, and they happened to be near Condor Studios, so at the moment she was sharing a table and an order of fries with her new friend.

Even after the horrible week, Harper and Alex had to admit that the young teens' not-quite-relationship was the most adorable thing they'd ever seen. "They really are a cute couple," Harper remarked while she sipped her soda.

"Yeah, the little weirdos are meant for each other," Alex remarked. Like her father, she seemed to have a bottomless stomach. Her burger was completely finished, even after the fried chicken she had consumed about two hours ago.

"I just can't believe it," Justin muttered, then glanced at his sister. "You and Chad…me and Tawni…after all we went through, Max is the one who ends up with a date."

"Yup. Max got a date, I ended up in studio jail…" Harper trailed off with a sigh. "Hollywood is one messed up town."

Alex and Justin tapped their soda cups against hers in a silent toast of agreement.

* * *

Days later, Alex was glad to finally be home. Well, sort of. She was grounded, of course. But for once, Harper and Justin were grounded with her. Sure, she was bored out of her mind, but at least she wasn't the only one suffering.

As she unpacked her suitcases, by throwing her clothes into her closet, she looked around her room. Harper was picking up some of Alex's clothes and folding them both because the mess bothered her, and out of sheer boredom. The teen would usually be designing, but she didn't have any fabric at her disposal since she thought she'd be able to go shopping when she got back to New York.

With a sigh, Alex glanced up and looked around. Just for the sake of conversation, she thought aloud, "Maybe I should redecorate my room. I've had this pink fur wallpaper for what, three years now?"

"Yes!" Harper exclaimed. "We should totally rearrange your furniture. I'll make a sketch!" When Alex raised an eyebrow, she retorted, "Oh come on. Like you _wouldn't_ move around furniture just for something to do at this point."

Alex's shoulders sagged. "Unfortunately, that's true."

"I wish I had a hobby where I didn't need materials," Harper said. "Like Justin. He's so lucky he can just pick up his guitar any time."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Alex repeated. Ever since he got back, Justin decided to spend his time writing a song for Tawni to put up online, with the hope she would see it and think he wasn't a geek. In Alex's opinion, writing a love song to a girl who already dumped him made him even more geeky. Yet he ignored her advice every time she told him so.

Even more annoying – his room wasn't soundproof. Alex was tempted to cast a silence spell on his room, but she knew her parents would be suspicious when they didn't hear anything. She'd need to wait until the music was driving them crazy too so they'd be grateful instead of angry.

At least her younger brother had been keeping to himself. He'd been spending most of his time talking to Zora in his room, whether it be chatting on his computer or talking to her on his cell phone. Though to be honest, Alex almost wished that he _would_ be up to something, just so she could join in or bust him, depending on her mood. A few times she'd sent him off into the outside world to get her some new magazines, but he was starting to ask for a "buyer's fee," and she didn't have the money.

Her message board near her bed caught her eye, and she went over to it. "Well, at least I can start redecorating by putting up new pictures." She spotted a cut out of the _So Random_ cast she'd liked from a magazine she'd tacked up a while ago. Without hesitation, she ripped it down, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into her garbage pail. "There. Made some room."

"Don't you think that was a little petty?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, I guess…" Alex replied. Then she ripped down every picture of a _So Random_ cast member on the board. Only a few pictures of other celebrities remained. "And that was a _lot_ petty."

Harper shook her head and went to the computer to check her email. As she clicked open her homepage, she gasped in shock. "Oh my gosh, Alex! You're on the front page of oceanUp!" She squinted at the screen to get a better look at the picture. "_We're_ on the front page of oceanUp!"

"_What_? No way! Let me see!"

It took less than a second for Alex to leap across the room, shove Harper off the chair, and sit down to see the article. There was a _huge_ picture of Alex, Harper, Justin and Max, when they were first meeting Sonny on the set. Underneath was the article:

_Selena Gomez Imposter on _So Random_ Set!_

_A craft service attendant on the _So Random _set excitedly took this picture of who he thought was Selena Gomez. He was disappointed when he later found out that it was actually fan _Alex Russo_ and friends, who had used Russo's remarkable similarity to the star to get past security._

"_Why would anyone do such a stupid thing?" the craft service attendant, Kevin Greene, wondered. "They had to know they'd be caught. I'm surprised they got past the security guard at the gate."_

_He found out about the mix up much later in the day, after word had spread around the studio. He'd heard from a _So Random_ assistant, who had seen Chad Dylan Cooper order security to find Ms. Russo and friends when he discovered the truth. Apparently, Ms. Russo had devised the plan in order to meet up with Cooper, who had offered to show her around the set of _Mackenzie Falls_ after she'd introduced herself as a friend of_ So Random _creator Marshall Pike when caught sneaking around backstage. She had then posed as Gomez and claimed to be meeting Sonny Munroe so that security wouldn't check in with Pike. _

_After security guard Dave was questioned about his major slip, he went on the defensive, "She looked exactly like the real Selena! She was so convincing that I never suspected a thing…this Alex Russo person must be some kind of evil mastermind," he insisted. "My niece is gonna be crushed that she doesn't have the real Selena's autograph."_

_Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper were unavailable for comments._

"See Alex?" Harper said as she frantically pointed at the screen. "Now the whole world knows what you did!"

"Yeah…" Alex said with a grin. She then printed the article and proudly tacked it on the message board. "Look who's the celebrity now!"


End file.
